The monosynaptic excitatory connections of single trigeminal interneurones to the V motor nucleus of the rat.

1. We have used the extracellular spike-triggered averaging method to identify a population of trigeminal interneurones that make monosynaptic connections within the V motor nucleus. The experiments were performed on rats anaesthetized with pentobarbitone (60 mg/kg I.V.; supplementary doses given as necessary to maintain a deep level of anaesthesia). 2. A tungsten microelectrode (tip exposure of some 200 microns) was inserted into the masseter motoneurone pool to allow recording of extracellular activity. A glass electrode filled with DL-homocysteic acid was used to make simultaneous extracellular recordings of the firing of single neurones in the region immediately caudal to the motor nucleus. 3. Fifty-eight out of 166 interneurones tested gave unitary extracellular fields in the motor nucleus. The responses consisted of a terminal spike (presynaptic spike) followed by a negative field of duration approximately 3 ms and amplitude 0.4-10.8 microV. The mean latency between the positive peak of the terminal spike and the onset of the field (synaptic delay) was 0.43 ms (S.D. = 0.10 ms), and the mean latency from the onset of the interneurone spike to the positive peak of the presynaptic spike was 0.35 ms (S.D. = 0.22 ms). Thus the interneurones project directly to the motor nucleus where they then make monosynaptic connections. 4. The negative extracellular fields were taken to reflect an excitatory synaptic input onto neurones within the motor nucleus. The fields were of maximum amplitude at the point of maximum masseter motoneurone antidromic field, suggesting that the connection may be onto elevator motoneurones. 5. The location of the interneurone appeared to the main factor governing the likelihood of obtaining a field. Interneurones located more than 400 microns from the caudal border of the motor nucleus rarely produced fields whereas most of those located within this distance gave fields. This pattern of distribution is strikingly similar to that of trigeminal interneurones labelled by the transneuronal transport of wheatgerm agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase after an intramuscular injection of the tracer into the masseter muscle. We suggest that this provides electrophysiological support for the suggestion that the tracer does indeed label interneurones by means of retrograde transsynaptic transport.