Developmental changes in the effects of quadriceps (Q) nerve stimulation on the locomotor rhythm induced by a mixture of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid and 5-hydroxytryptamine were examined using in vitro preparations from neonatal rats at postnatal days (P) 1-6. The effects of such stimulation on the rhythm were dependent both on stimulus strength and on the age of the animal. Low-intensity stimulation (< or =3.0 x T, where T=threshold for the monosynaptic reflex) during the flexor phase reset the rhythm via a prolongation of the flexor burst in most rats at P1-3, but via flexor burst truncation at P4-6. At any age, low-intensity stimulation during the extensor phase had no consistent effect on the ongoing rhythm. Activation of muscle afferents evoked via isometric contraction of the Q muscle caused effects similar to those obtained on low-intensity electrical stimulation in all age groups. In all age groups, high-intensity stimulation (> or =5.0 x T) caused resetting when delivered during the flexor phase via a prolongation of the flexor burst and during the extensor phase via a truncation of the extensor burst. These results suggest that the type of resetting evoked from low-threshold muscle afferents changes drastically during postnatal weekl, while effects evoked from high-threshold afferents remain unchanged.