PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F J Clark

Publications and source records attributed to F J Clark.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Motor unit firing and its relation to tremor in the tonic vibration reflex of the decerebrate cat.

1. The discharge of single motor units has been recorded from the soleus muscle of the decerebrate cat during the tonic vibration reflex elicited isometrically, to further understanding of the tremor that is seen in the reflex contraction. The reflex was elicited by pulses of vibration of 50 micrometers amplitude at 150 Hz, and up to four units were studied concurrently. 2. Individual units fired rather regularly and at a low frequency (range 4-14 Hz). The rate of firing of any unit normally fell within the frequency band of the tremor recorded at the same time. On comparing different preparations a higher frequency of tremor was associated with a higher frequency of motor firing. 3. The responses of pairs of motor units recorded concurrently during repeated production of the reflex were compared by cross-correlation analysis; over 1000 spikes from each train were normally used for this. The major of the cross-correlograms were flat with no overt sign of any synchronization between the units other than that due to the vibration. 4. Clear indications of correlated motor unit firing could be produced deliberately by modulating the amplitude of vibration at a frequency comparable to that of the normal tremor and thereby introducing a rhythmic component into the tonic vibration reflex. 5. About 20% of the cross-correlograms obtained during normal tremor showed varying amounts of an irregular 'waviness' suggesting a possible correlation between the times of firing of a pair of units. But such waves never developed steadily throughout the period of analysis, in contrast to the comparable waves produced on modulating the vibration. Similar waves were seen on cross-correlating a motor unit with an electronic oscillator, confirming that their occurrence does not necessarily demonstrate the existence of active neural interactions. 6. It is concluded that there is no strong and widespread neural synchronizing mechanism active during the tonic vibration reflex, although the possibility of some weak neural interactions has not been excluded. The findings favour the idea that the tremor in this preparation is simply the inevitable result of motor units discharging asynchronously, but at closely similar subtetanic frequencies.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1975

Awareness of knee joint angle under static conditions.

The ability of subjects to match the angle of a passively positioned knee joint by active positioning of the opposite leg is nearly constant with time from 15s to 3 min. However, their ability to match this angle from memory is equally good. Thus, knowledge of joint angle after movement has ceased does not necessarily require ongoing input from tonic peripheral receptors.

Forearm↗
PubMed1975

Slowly adapting receptors in cat knee joint: can they signal joint angle?

Afferent activity in the lateral (LAN), medial (MAN), and posterior (PAN) articular nerves supplying the cat knee joint was studied at intermediate positions of the joint that included most of its working range. The discharge was analyzed only while the joint was stationary. The small LAN showed negligible tonic activity at intermediate angles (as determined by gross recording) and was not studied further.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Information signaled by sensory fibers in medial articular nerve.

Responses of 331 individual medial articular nerve fibers innervating the cat knee joint were tested to bending the joint over its entire range and to pressing on the tissues of the joint. The 331 fibers were classified into five groups on the basis of their discharge characteristics: slowly adapting (64), phasic (103), Pacinian corpuscle-like (12), weakly activated (39), and nonactivated (113). Five of the slowly adapting and all twelve of the Pacinian corpuscle-like receptors responded at intermediate joint angles. The remainder responded, if at all, only near the extremes of joint bending or twisting. Many of these same receptors could be activated by pressing about the knee. Sometimes gentle pressure on the focus sufficed to produce a vigorous discharge. The properties of these receptors are considered to be consistent with the hypothesis that articular mechanoreceptors do not signal joint angle but are involved in deep-pressure sensations.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1972

On the regulation of depth and rate of breathing.

1. The relationships between the depth of a breath and the durations of the inspiratory and expiratory phases have been studied in cat and in man during rebreathing, and in cat using artificial inflations of different magnitudes and timings.2. In the cat, the apparent volume threshold for termination of inspiration (Hering-Breuer threshold) decreased with time from the onset of the inspiratory phase.3. Both in rebreathing experiments and with artificially imposed inflations in the cat, the inspiratory duration T(I) was dependent upon tidal volume V(T), and this dependence could be expressed by a hyperbolic relationship of the form (V(T)-V(0)) T(I) = C where V(0) and C are constants.4. The time course of this ;Hering-Breuer' threshold was dependent on intact vagus nerves. After vagotomy the inspiratory duration remained essentially constant with changes in tidal volume produced either by artificial inflation or by the increased respiratory drive due to accumulation of CO(2) during rebreathing.5. In man during rebreathing, the relation between volume and inspiratory duration typically showed two different characteristics. 1, at tidal volumes up to 1.5-2 times eupnoeic values, inspiratory duration did not change as tidal volume increased in response to increased P(CO2). This range of operation has been designated range 1. 2, as tidal volume increased above this range 1 a second range designated range 2 was observed where inspiratory duration was volume dependent in the same manner as in the cat.6. In cat under pentobarbitone anaesthesia, a range 1 operation was not seen except after vagotomy. However, under urethane anaesthesia a range 1 plus a range 2 operation could be seen.7. The differences between cat and man appeared to be largely quantitative rather than qualitative.8. In both cat and man, expiratory duration was dependent on inspiratory duration, usually with a linear relationship.9. The experimental results were assembled in the form of an inspiratory characteristic and a timing relationship that serve as a model of the respiratory mechanisms controlling the depth and rate of breathing. The model predicts that the depth and duration of a breath are related in a definite manner fixed by the system characteristics and that ventilation is adjusted by setting the appropriate operating point on these characteristics. The operating point is determined primarily by how quickly lung volume increases, i.e. the rate of increase of inspiratory motor activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1969

Dorsal column projection of fibres from the cat knee joint.

1. Stimulation of the cervical dorsal columns excited an average of nine knee joint fibres in the cat posterior articular nerve, eleven fibres in the cat medial articular nerve and thirteen fibres in the monkey posterior articular nerve.2. Joint fibres projecting to cervical levels were shown to be rapidly adapting by recording with micro-electrodes from single fibres in intact cat posterior articular nerves. The numerous slowly adapting fibres could not be antidromically excited from the cervical dorsal columns.3. Several control experiments suggested that the antidromic stimulation method accurately defined the dorsal column projection of joint fibres.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1969

Characteristics of knee joint receptors in the cat.

1. The conduction velocities of 278 posterior articular nerve fibres studied in dorsal root filaments ranged from 10 to 110 m/sec. The conduction velocities were distributed similarly to posterior articular nerve fibre diameters determined histologically.2. Two hundred and nine fibres were slowly adapting. Of these, 140 responded only at both marked flexion and marked extension, forty-seven responded only during flexion and twelve only during extension. Four slowly adapting fibres were activated specifically at intermediate joint positions. Outward twist of the tibia (abducting the foot) enhanced the discharge of most slowly adapting joint fibres.3. Two rapidly adapting receptor types were noted. Pacinian corpuscle-like receptors (fourteen fibres) responded transiently to joint movement in any direction regardless of initial position. Phasic joint receptors (thirty fibres) were rapidly adapting at most joint positions but could give a low rate sustained discharge when strongly stimulated.4. Six slowly adapting posterior articular nerve fibres responded to succinylcholine, suggesting that they originated from muscle spindles. Spindle-like receptors were usually tonically active at intermediate joint positions.5. Eleven slowly conducting myelinated fibres responded only to extreme joint movement, which was probably noxious.

Adaptation, Physiological↗