Splanchnic and somatic afferent convergence on cervical spinal neurons of the rat

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (1) ◽  
pp. R268-R276 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. W. Akeyson ◽  
L. P. Schramm
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Cervical Spinal Cord ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Spinal Neurons ◽  
Somatic Afferents ◽  
Greater Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Somatic Input ◽  
Stimulation Of

The rostral cervical spinal cord is increasingly being considered the source of important propriospinal regulation. To better understand the substrate for this function, we investigated the effects of stimulation of the greater splanchnic nerve (GSN) and both thoracic and cervical somatic afferents on the activity of cervical spinal neurons. Extracellular single-neuron recordings were made in the C2-C5 spinal segments of chloralose-anesthetized, paralyzed, and artificially ventilated rats. Neurons were classified according to their responses to GSN stimulation. Neurons were inhibited by this stimulation as frequently as they were excited. We then studied the characteristics of cervical and thoracic convergent somatic input to each class of neurons. Although all cervical neurons that responded to GSN stimulation responded to electrical stimulation of the iliohypogastric nerve (IHN), only the few neurons that exhibited whole body receptive fields (RF) responded to natural thoracic somatic stimuli. Responses to electrical stimulation of the GSN and IHN were similar for most neurons; most exhibited nociceptive cutaneous RFs in cervical dermatomes. These data indicate that input from cervical somatic afferents and from both thoracic visceral and thoracic somatic afferents converge on individual splanchnic-receptive cervical neurons. Although these neurons exhibited the predicted cervical somatic RFs, responses from thoracic levels did not exhibit discrete RFs, requiring instead more synchronous or more spatially convergent input.

Processing of splanchnic and somatic input in thoracic spinal cord of the rat

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (1) ◽  
pp. R257-R267 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. W. Akeyson ◽  
L. P. Schramm
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Somatic Input ◽  
Stimulation Of

To better understand the spinal transmission of visceral afferent information, we conducted neurophysiological studies of single spinal neurons that receive input from the greater splanchnic nerve (GSN). Extracellular single-neuron recordings were made in the thoracic spinal cord of chloralose-anesthetized, paralyzed, and artificially ventilated rats, some of which had undergone acute spinal transection at C1. Neurons were divided into four classes according to their responses to GSN stimulation: one-burst excitatory, two-burst excitatory, biphasic, and inhibited. We then studied the characteristics of the convergent somatic input to each class of neurons using either natural somatic stimuli or electrical stimulation of the iliohypogastric nerve (IHN). Most splanchnic input was mediated by unmyelinated fibers, whereas somatic input was mediated by both unmyelinated and small myelinated fibers. Most of the neurons exhibited somatic receptive fields, and the majority responded to both innocuous and noxious somatic stimuli. However, a small number could be excited only by GSN stimulation. Although a careful analysis of response characteristics indicated that there was a tendency for neurons to exhibit similar responses to electrical stimulation of the GSN and the IHN, we observed many combinations of somatic and visceral responses. We suggest that visceral afferent activity, in addition to being processed via convergent somatovisceral pathways, may be processed by neurons that convey only visceral information or by neurons in which visceral and somatic information is differentially coded.

Greater splanchnic excitation of primate T1-T5 spinothalamic neurons

1984 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 592-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. S. Ammons ◽  
R. W. Blair ◽  
R. D. Foreman
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Sympathetic Stimulation ◽  
Bilateral Vagotomy ◽  
Somatic Receptive Fields ◽  
Greater Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Stimulation Of

Effects of electrical stimulation of the left greater splanchnic nerve (SPL) on T1-T5 spinothalamic (STT) neurons were determined. Eighty-five STT neurons were studied in 36 anesthetized monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). All neurons were excited by manipulation of their somatic receptive fields and by electrical stimulation of cardiopulmonary (CP) sympathetic afferent fibers. SPL stimulation excited 63 (74%) STT neurons. There was an increasing percentage of cells with SPL input at more caudal segments and in deeper laminae. Both SPL and CP sympathetic stimulation elicited early or both early and late responses. Latencies to cell activation were usually shorter for CP sympathetic stimulation than for SPL stimulation (5.4 +/- 0.8 versus 11.3 +/- 2.0 ms for early responses and 44.2 +/- 4.2 versus 111.0 +/- 6.6 ms for late responses). The maximum number of spikes per SPL or CP sympathetic stimulus was determined. In the T2 and T3 segments, early responses to CP sympathetic stimulation were significantly greater. However, at more caudal segments, responses to CP sympathetic input decreased while responses to SPL input increased until at T4 there was no difference in the two responses. In T5, responses to SPL input were greater. No differences in the magnitudes of late responses were observed in any of the segments. The response of six cells to SPL stimulation was inhibited by a train of conditioning stimuli applied to the left thoracic vagus nerve. Maximum inhibition occurred at a CT interval of 50 ms and test responses were significantly reduced at CT intervals as great as 200 ms. Bilateral vagotomy eliminated the inhibitory effect. Cutting the left sympathetic chain between the T5 and T6 rami communicantes eliminated 27% of the response to SPL stimulation. More caudal cuts reduced the response further until 71% of the response was abolished by a cut between T8 and T9. Lesions in the dorsolateral column of the spinal cord had little effect on the responses, while lesions of the lateral and ventrolateral columns reduced or abolished the responses. We conclude that SPL stimulation excites T1-T5 STT neurons by way of extraspinal and intraspinal pathways. SPL information is integrated with information from a variety of other visceral and somatic sources. SPL input to cells with somatic fields in the chest region may explain the clinical phenomenon of chest pain associated with abdominal disorders.

Renal and somatic input to spinal neurons antidromically activated from the ventrolateral medulla

1988 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1967-1981 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. S. Ammons
Keyword(s):  
Reticular Formation ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Ventrolateral Medulla ◽  
Reticular Nucleus ◽  
Lateral Reticular Nucleus ◽  
Spinal Neurons ◽  
C Fiber ◽  
Somatic Input ◽  
Fiber Stimulation ◽  
Stimulation Of

1. Studies were done to characterize responses of spinal neurons backfired from the ventrolateral medulla to renal and somatic stimuli. Experiments were performed on 31 cats that were anesthetized with alpha-chloralose. Sixty-six spinal neurons were antidromically activated from the area of the lateral reticular nucleus or the ventrolateral reticular formation just rostral to the lateral reticular nucleus contralateral to the recording site. These cells could not be backfired from the medial reticular formation or from the spinothalamic tract just caudal to the thalamus. 2. Cells were located in laminae I, V, and VII of the T12-L2 segments. Antidromic conduction velocities averaged 35.9 +/- 7.2 m/s. Conduction velocities were unrelated to the projection site or laminar location of the cells. Termination sites of 21 cells were located in antidromic mapping experiments. Terminals were localized to the ventrolateral reticular formation, including the lateral reticular nucleus. 3. Responses to electrical stimulation of the renal nerves were always excitatory. Stimulation of renal A-delta-fibers excited 33 cells. These cells failed to respond to stimulation of renal C-fibers. The other 33 cells responded to both A-delta- and C-fiber stimulation. Latencies to A-delta-fiber stimulation averaged 9 +/- 2 ms, whereas latencies to C-fiber stimulation averaged 57 +/- 10 ms. 4. Renal mechanoreceptors were activated by occlusion of the renal vein or upper portion of the ureter. Renal vein occlusion excited 14 of 32 cells tested. Activity increased from 6 +/- 2 to 14 +/- 4 spike/s. Ureteral occlusion increased activity of 19 of 32 cells from 7 +/- 2 to 16 +/- 5 spikes/s. Cells responding to one of the mechanical stimuli were significantly more likely to receive A-delta-and C-fiber input compared with nonresponding cells. Nonresponders were more likely than responders to receive only A-delta input. 5. All cells received somatic input in addition to renal input. Twelve cells were classified as wide dynamic range, 46 as high threshold, and 8 as Deep. Somatic receptive fields most often included skin and muscle of the left flank and abdomen. Thirty-two cells had bilateral receptive fields, and 22 had inhibitory fields in addition to excitatory fields. 6. These data show that spinal neurons projecting to the ventrolateral medulla receive convergent inputs from the kidney and somatic structures. These cells may participate in a variety of functions including autonomic reflexes of renal origin.

Pre- and postganglionic sympathetic activity in splanchnic nerves of rats

1981 ◽  
Vol 241 (1) ◽  
pp. R55-R61 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Celler ◽  
L. P. Schramm
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
Wistar Rats ◽  
Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Ganglionic Blockade ◽  
Splanchnic Nerves ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Evoked Activity ◽  
Greater Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Stimulation Of

Integrated sympathetic activity was recorded on anterior or posterior divisions of the greater splanchnic nerve (GSN) in anesthetized, acutely spinalized, artificially respired Wistar rats before and after ganglionic blockade by hexamethonium. Focal electrical stimulation of spinal sympathoexcitatory pathways elicited large increases in splanchnic sympathetic activity. Ganglionic blockade showed that the anterior and posterior divisions of the GSN are predominantly preganglionic and postganglionic, respectively. Histological examination of excised splanchnic nerves and sympathetic chains indicated that splanchnic postganglionic cell bodies must lie in the chain ganglia rather than within the GSN. Postganglionic responses were calculated for each rat by subtracting responses recorded after ganglionic blockade from responses recorded before ganglionic blockade. As expected, postganglionic responses exhibited longer onset latencies than preganglionic responses. However, evoked activity increased and decreased more rapidly in postganglionic fibers than in preganglionic fibers. Responses to stimulus trains were also better maintained in postganglionic than in preganglionic fibers.

Adrenal versus nonadrenal sympathetic preganglionic neurones in the lower thoracic intermediolateral nucleus of the cat: physiological properties

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (11) ◽  
pp. 1447-1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. B. Backman ◽  
H. Sequeira-Martinho ◽  
J. L. Henry
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Adrenal Medulla ◽  
Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Physiological Properties ◽  
Preganglionic Neurone ◽  
Spinal Segments ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Greater Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Intermediolateral Nucleus ◽  
Stimulation Of

Adrenal and nonadrenal sympathetic preganglionic neurones (SPNs) in the intermediolateral nucleus of spinal segments T8–T10 in the cat were compared according to a number of physiological properties. An SPN was classified as "adrenal" (n = 37) if it could be antidromically activated by electrical stimulation of the adrenal medulla. An SPN that could not be activated from the adrenal medulla yet could be antidromically activated by electrical stimulation of the greater splanchnic nerve was classified as "nonadrenal" (n = 123). Approximately 50% of adrenal SPNs (17 out of 37) were activated antidromically by stimulation of both the greater splanchnic nerve and adrenal medulla, suggesting that these neurones projected to the adrenal medulla via the greater splanchnic nerve, with the other adrenal SPNs taking a different route. The mean conduction velocities of adrenal (6.7 ± 1.8 (SD) m/s) and nonadrenal (6.7 ± 1.5 m/s) sympathetic preganglionic axons were similar. Over 80% of adrenal (31 out of 37) and nonadrenal (104 out of 116) SPNs were spontaneously active. The two types of neurone were indistinguishable in terms of the rates and patterns of discharge. Adrenal SPNs discharged with a mean rate of 1.4 ± 1.1 spikes/s, and nonadrenal SPNs discharged with a mean rate of 1.8 ± 1.4 spikes/s. With both types of SPN, the pattern of spontaneous activity was either irregular or phasic. With the latter pattern, periodic bursts of discharge were at the same frequency as oscillations in arterial pressure, frequency of ventilation, or phrenic nerve discharge. These data suggest that adrenal and nonadrenal sympathetic preganglionic neurones in the intermediolateral nucleus in caudal thoracic segments share a number of common physiological properties.Key words: adrenal, sympathetic preganglionic neurone, spinal cord, lateral horn.

scholarly journals Electrical stimulation of the nucleus basalis of meynert: a systematic review of preclinical and clinical data

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Nazmuddin ◽  
Ingrid H. C. H. M. Philippens ◽  
Teus van Laar
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Clinical Data ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Lewy Body Dementia ◽  
Clinical Situation ◽  
Nucleus Basalis ◽  
Nucleus Basalis Of Meynert ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Stimulation Of

AbstractDeep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) has been clinically investigated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD). However, the clinical effects are highly variable, which questions the suggested basic principles underlying these clinical trials. Therefore, preclinical and clinical data on the design of NBM stimulation experiments and its effects on behavioral and neurophysiological aspects are systematically reviewed here. Animal studies have shown that electrical stimulation of the NBM enhanced cognition, increased the release of acetylcholine, enhanced cerebral blood flow, released several neuroprotective factors, and facilitates plasticity of cortical and subcortical receptive fields. However, the translation of these outcomes to current clinical practice is hampered by the fact that mainly animals with an intact NBM were used, whereas most animals were stimulated unilaterally, with different stimulation paradigms for only restricted timeframes. Future animal research has to refine the NBM stimulation methods, using partially lesioned NBM nuclei, to better resemble the clinical situation in AD, and LBD. More preclinical data on the effect of stimulation of lesioned NBM should be present, before DBS of the NBM in human is explored further.

The release of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla and its modulation by α2-adrenoceptors in the anaesthetized dog

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 550-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Foucart ◽  
Réginald Nadeau ◽  
Jacques de Champlain
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Adrenal Medulla ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Feedback Mechanism ◽  
Adrenal Vein ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Negative Feedback Mechanism ◽  
Frequency Of Stimulation ◽  
Stimulation Of

The adrenal nerve of anaesthetized and vagotomized dogs was electrically stimulated (10 V pulses of 2 ms duration for 10 min) at frequencies of 1, 3, 10, and 25 Hz. There was a correlation between the frequency of stimulation and the plasma concentrations of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine in the adrenal vein, mainly after the 1st min of stimulation and the maximal concentration was reached sooner with higher frequencies of stimulation. Moreover, the relative percentage of catecholamines released in response to the electrical stimulation was not changed by the frequency of stimulation. To test the hypothesis that a local negative feedback mechanism mediated by α2-adrenoceptors exists in the adrenal medulla, the effects of the systemic administration of clonidine (α2-agonist) and yohimbine (α2-antagonist) on the concentrations of catecholamines in the adrenal vein were evaluated during the electrical stimulation of the adrenal nerve (5 V pulses of 2 ms duration for 3 min) at 3 Hz. Moreover, the effects of the systemic injections of more specific α2-agonist and antagonist (oxymetazoline and idazoxan) were tested on the release of catecholamines in the adrenal vein in response to electrical stimulation of the splanchnic nerve at 1 and 3 Hz frequencies. The injection of 0.5 mg/kg of yohimbine caused a significant increase in the concentrations of epinephrine and norepinephrine in the adrenal vein induced by the electrical stimulation of the adrenal nerve and the injection of 15 μg/kg of clonidine had no effects. In the second series of experiments, the injection of 2 μg/kg of oxymetazoline caused a significant decrease in the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine at 1 Hz, but similarly to clonidine, there were no changes at 3 Hz. In contrast, the release of epinephrine and dopamine in response to electrical stimulation of the splanchnic nerve was increased at 3 Hz after the injection of idazoxan, but not at 1 Hz. It is concluded that the adrenal medulla catecholamines secretion appears to be partly modulated by a presynaptic inhibitory mechanism that involves α2-adrenoceptors. The observation that agonists appear to be more efficient at low frequencies of stimulation while antagonists appear to be more efficient at higher frequencies could be explained by the possibility that adrenal medullary α2-receptors would be saturated at higher frequencies of stimulation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document