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J Neurophysiol (March 18, 2009). doi:10.1152/jn.90828.2008
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Submitted on July 30, 2008
Revised on February 23, 2009
Accepted on March 9, 2009

POLYNEURONAL INNERVATION OF SINGLE MUSCLE FIBERS IN CAT EYE MUSCLE: INFERIOR OBLIQUE

Diana M. Dimitrova1, Brian L. Allman2, Mary S. Shall2, and Stephen J. Goldberg2*

1 Oregon Health and Science Univ.
2 Virginia Commonwealth University

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sgoldber{at}vcu.edu.

Single muscle fibers with multiple axonal endplates (multiply innervated fibers) are normally present in adult extraocular muscles (EOMs), while most other mammalian skeletal muscles contain fibers with a single myoneural junction. Recent findings by others led us to investigate for the presence of polyneuronal innervation (innervation of a single muscle fiber by more than one motoneuron) in the inferior oblique (IO) muscle of pentobarbital anesthetized cats. The IO muscle nerve branches, as they coursed through the orbit, were further divided for independent or simultaneous electrical stimulation with bipolar electrodes. Four out of 5 established tests for polyneuronal innervation gave positive results. The sum of the twitch (1) and tetanic (2) tensions in response to individual nerve branch stimulation was greater than that for simultaneous (whole) nerve stimulation. The summed electromyographic (EMG) responses (3) gave a similar positive result. The result for crossed tetanic potentiation (4) was negative for polyneuronal innervation while the crossed fatigue (5) test was positive. These results are consistent with recent studies. That the EOMs exhibit polyneuronal innervation further explains the eye movement system's functional integrity during some neuromuscular disorders as well as its ability to operate with precision after the loss of numerous motoneurons.







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