Publication details for Dr Robert William Banks

Banks, Robert W. (2015). The innervation of the muscle spindle: a personal history. Journal of Anatomy 227(2): 115-135.

• Publication type: Journal Article
• ISSN/ISBN: 0021-8782, 1469-7580
• DOI: 10.1111/joa.12297
• Keywords: Muscle spindle, Intrafusal fibres, Sensory innervation, Motor innervation.
• Further publication details on publisher web site

Author(s) from Durham

• Dr Robert William Banks

Abstract

I present a brief review of current understanding of the innervation of the mammalian muscle spindle, from a personal historical perspective. The review begins with comparative studies on the numbers of spindle afferents and considers how their relative abundance may best be assessed. This is followed by an examination of the distribution and some functional properties of the motor innervation. The primary ending is the subject of the final section, in particular, I look at what can be learned from serial sectioning and volumetric reconstruction, and present new results on a model and simulations concerning sensory terminal deformation during stretch.