The synaptic basis of the monosynaptic stretch reflex

Abstract

The synapses formed on motoneurones by sensory nerves from primary stretch receptors in muscle have been the model for studies on the mechanisms of excitatory synaptic transmission in the CNS. Recent refinements in electrophysiological and anatomical techniques, and the application of cable theory to motoneurone dendrites, have produced new results. These suggest that although transmission at these synapses involves the release of a neurotransmitter, the mechanisms by which transmission is achieved at these synapses, and perhaps at CNS synapses in general, may be quite different from those which operate at the neuromuscular junction. Show more