Compartmental and topographical distributions of axons in nerves to the amphibian (Bufo marinus) glutaeus muscle

The present work seeks to determine if axons to an amphibian muscle are segregated in nerve trunks between the spinal cord and muscle according to their primary nerve destination or their topographical projection in the muscle. The distribution of axons to different compartments and subcompartments of the amphibian (Bufo marinus) glutaeus muscle has been determined in transverse sections of spinal and limb nerves after retrogradely labelling the axons with horseradish peroxidase. Glutaeus axons were dispersed widely through spinal nerves 8 and 9 but loosely gathered together in one quadrant of the sciatic nerve after passing through the lumbar plexus. Glutaeus axons became tightly clustered to the exclusion of other axons along the length of the triceps femoris nerve after it divides from the sciatic nerve. Furthermore, axons destined for one of the two glutaeus primary nerve branches segregate from those of the other branch at the level of the triceps femoris nerve before the glutaeus nerve forms. On the other hand, motoneurones that subserve a primary branch are not segregated, but are found throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the glutaeus motoneurone pool. Injection of horseradish peroxidase under the epimysium of either the ventral or the dorsal surfaces of the glutaeus muscle labelled motoneurones preferentially in either the rostral or caudal part of the motoneurone pool, respectively. This confirms studies that have shown a topographical projection from the spinal motoneurone pool onto the glutaeus muscle. However, there was no segregation of dorsally projecting axons in the glutaeus and primary nerve branches. Thus, glutaeus axons segregate according to their muscle compartmental projections well before entering the muscle, but they show no organization in nerves with respect to their topographical projections within a compartment.