Peripheral sensory nerve terminals appear more susceptible than their motor counterparts to the neurotoxic effects of certain agents. A lesion in the spinal cord termination of these nerves, corresponding to that in the peripheral terminals, would result in incorrect integration of proprioceptive information at spinal synapses and thus compound the peripheral defect. Primary afferent terminal function will be investigated in cats with neuropathies included by acrylamide or doxorubicin. Specifically, synapses subserving segmental reflexes and the cells of origin of the dorsal spinocerebellar tracts will be electrophysiologically evaluated. These data will be correlated with those with morphological studies in an attempt to ascertain the contribution of spinal cord defects make to the clinical signs of the peripheral neuropathies.
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