Changes in segmental reflexes following chronic spinal cord hemisection in the cat:

Abstract

Ventral root discharges to stimulation of peripheral nerves became larger on the side of a chronic spinal hemisection (left) than on the other side. Conditioning of monosynaptic test reflexes was used to study changes of both excitatory and inhibitory effects on specified motoneuronal pools. Conditioning stimulation was given to Ia afferents (reciprocal Ia inhibition, presynaptic inhibition of Ia fibers), high threshold muscle afferents, low and high threshold cutaneous afferents and motor axons (recurrent inhibition). A comparison of the efficacy of conditioning stimuli on the 2 sides showed that facilitatory effects were larger on the side of hemisection in a clear majority of cases. Inhibition was almost always either more efficient on the side of hemisection or equally efficient on the 2 sides. In control cats, facilitatory effects tended to be larger on the right side, while the results for inhibitory conditioning generally showed no clear side-bias. The increase in facilitatory effects after lesions may contribute to symptoms of spasticity.