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Science 26 September 1975:
Vol. 189. no. 4208, pp. 1091 - 1093
DOI: 10.1126/science.1162358
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Articles

Science, Vol 189, Issue 4208, 1091-1093
Copyright © 1975 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Goldfish abducens motoneurons: physiological and anatomical specialization

P Sterling and P Gestrin

During natural movements, the motoneurons innervating a single muscle have different patterns of activity that are correlated with differences in synaptic input. The caudal abducens motoneurons fire phasically in synchronous bursts before rapid posterior eye movements; the rostral abducens motoneurons fire only tonically when the eye is fixed or moving slowly. This physiological difference is not related to motoneuron size. In this respect the abducens motoneurons violate the "size principle" that has been advanced for spinal motoneurons. The difference is probably related to the present finding that the caudal but not the rostral cells receive numerous electrical synapses that are known to have a role in synchronizing phasic activity.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
On competitive innervation of goldfish eye muscles.
R. Mark and L. Marotte (1976)
Science 192, 1145-1146
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