Alterations in the Antidromic Potential of Motor Neurons Following Chromatolysis

Abstract

The right tibial nerve of cats was cut in the popliteal fossa and degenerated. Cell potentials were recorded with a cathode-ray oscillograph. The affected segments of the spinal cord were explored with micro-electrodes to show the fields of the degenerated tibial nucleus and the normal control on the other side. Chromatolyzed cells responded to antidromic stimulation with reduced action potentials. No indication that the cells were stimulated subliminally was found in conditioning curves and it appeared that the external potential field of the individual cells was decreased in amplitude.