Spinal dorsal column afferent fiber composition in the pigeon: an electrophysiological investigation

Summary The spinal dorsal column of homing pigeons (Colomba livia) was investigated electrophysiologically by recording responses from individual afferent fibers at a high cervical level (segments C4-C5) to mechanical stimulation of wing skin and deep tissue. Of 157 afferent fibers 134 were cutaneous afferents. The remainder were afferents of deep receptors.Thirty of the cutaneous afferents were slowly adapting and 87 rapidly adapting (17 not identified). Rapidly adapting afferents were studied with regard to Pacinianlike characteristics (Herbst corpuscles in birds; vibration sensitive receptors). Of 43 rapidly adapting afferents 38 were classified as afferents of vibration sensitive Herbst corpuscles and 5 as non vibration sensitive rapidly adapting afferents; 44 afferents could not be studied sufficiently with regard to vibrational stimuli. The vibration sensitive Herbst corpuscle afferents had U-shaped vibrational tuning curves and responded best to vibration frequencies of 300 to 400 Hz. The 11 threshold for 300 Hz vibration ranged from 2 to 36 um. Herbst corpuscle afferents always showed strong phase coupling to the stimulus cycle.Afferents of deep receptors showed slowly adapting responses to firm pressure or movements of limbs and were classified as joint receptors. No muscle spindle afferents were encountered.Primary afferent fibers were identified in 89 cases (80 cutaneous and 9 deep), postsynaptic elements in 15 cases (11 cutaneous, 4 deep). Only slowly adapting responses were found in postsynaptic fibers.Abbreviations CV coefficient of variation - EI entrainment index - INTH interval histogram - PSTH peristimulus time histogram - RA rapidly adapting - SA slowly adapting