Electroneurographic Evidence of Muscle Spindles and Other Sensory Endings in the Intrinsic Laryngeal Muscles of The Cat

Abstract

Electroneurographic investigations carried out on afferent fibres of the recurrent nerve associated with laryngeal slowly adapting receptors are described in this paper. The modifications of the afferent discharges of the recurrent nerve due to passive stretch and electrical stimulation applied to the intrinsic laryngeal muscles are highly suggestive of muscle spindle activity. Other proprioceptors showed the functional characteristic of the proprioceptors “in series” with the fibres of a muscle. There is now functional evidence that the intrinsic laryngeal muscles are provided with a stretch-receptor mechanism. This should account for the existence of a myotatic control of these muscles.