Selective Reinnervation of Twitch and Tonic Muscle Fibres of the Frog

The electrical properties and innervation of piriformis muscle fibres and the conduction velocities and thresholds of the corresponding motor axons were studied. In normal muscles all fibres clearly fell into the category of twitch or tonic. Tonic muscle fibres were selectively reinnervated by small motor axons after crushing or cutting the piriformis nerve. Twitch fibres were reinnervated by large motor axons. Tonic fibres were also selectively reinnervated by small motor axons when the proximal stump of the piriformis nerve was cut and attached to the caudal end of the muscle. With this procedure the possibility of mechanical guidance by remaining neural sheaths was eliminated. Polyneuronal innervation in twitch fibres in piriformis muscles of normal frogs was 4.7% and in contralateral muscles of operated frogs with the piriformis nerve cut it was 22.6%. Unexpectedly three out of seventeen tonic fibres in contralateral muscles were simultaneously innervated by both small and large motor axons. It is concluded that reinnervation is highly specific for fibre type in frog skeletal muscles.