Proprioceptors (muscle spindle, Golgi tendon organ, joint receptors)

Receptor or cortex · Ia/Ib II

Muscle spindles (Ia and II afferents) and Golgi tendon organs (Ib) signal muscle length, tension and joint position on the largest, fastest afferents. The same dorsal root ganglion neurone sends one branch up the dorsal column for conscious proprioception and a collateral to the anterior horn for the stretch reflex.

Detail

Modality: Conscious proprioception (joint position sense)
Fibres: Ia and Ib (A-alpha) and II (A-beta): the largest, fastest afferents
Cell body: Dorsal root ganglion

When it goes wrong

Loss of proprioceptive input from any cause (dorsal column disease, large-fibre neuropathy)

Sensory ataxia: wide-based stamping gait that worsens in the dark, positive Romberg test (falls when the eyes close), pseudoathetosis of the outstretched fingers

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