Discharge Patterns of Coxal Levator and Depressor Motoneurones of the Cockroach, Periplaneta Americana

Abstract

Observation of movements of the metathoracic legs of the cockroach before and after section of peripheral nerves allowed identification of muscles involved in flexion and extension of the femur. Extracellular recordings from the nerves to these coxal muscles show that during rhythmic leg movements bursts of activity in a number of levator motor axons were strongly reciprocal and generally non-overlapping with those of a slow depressor motor axon. These reciprocal patterns persisted after removal of all sensory input from the legs. The durations of levator bursts were relatively constant compared to those of the depressor, corresponding to the behavioural observations on leg protraction time. The pattern was asymmetric: levator bursts could be generated without depressor activity, but never the reverse. No evidence was found for inhibitory collateral pathways between antagonisti motoneurones. It is proposed that levator motoneurones are driven by a group of bursting interneurones which simultaneously inhibit the ongoing depressor activity.