RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PARTITIONING PROPERTIES OF MOTONEURON RECRUITMENT AND THE NEEDLE FEELING PROPAGATION

Histological and physiological studies indicated that most skeletal mu scles can be divided into a series of relatively independent sub-volum es: ''neuromuscular compartments'' and the partitioning properly of th e muscle result in the localization of muscle reflex. In the present e xperiment we studied the recruitment properties of medial gastracnemiu s (MG) muscle motoneuron pool of decerebrate cat with two kinds of loc al mechanical stimulation: local stretch and acupuncture-like stimuli. The results indicate that: (i) there is an obvious property of locali zation of recruitment activity, only the MNs which innervate the stimu lated compartment were recruited by weaker and shorter stimuli; (ii) r ecruitment activity spread to those MNs which supply the adjacent and distal compartments during the strength of stimulation or duration of the stimulation was increased; and ( iii) the recruitment property of muscle activity elicited by the local mechanical stimulation is though t similar to that of ''needle feeling'' along the meridian pathway dur ing stimulation of acupuncture point.