Vestibular activation does not influence skin sympathetic nerve responses during whole body heating

2004 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 540-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thad E. Wilson ◽  
Nathan T. Kuipers ◽  
Erica A. McHugh ◽  
Chester A. Ray
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Sympathetic Nerve ◽  
Sweat Rate ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Sweat Glands ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Vestibulosympathetic Reflex ◽  
Static Head

The cutaneous vasculature and eccrine sweat glands are modified by both thermal and nonthermal factors. To determine the effect of thermal stress on the vestibulosympathetic reflex, skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA) and cutaneous end-organ responses were measured in 10 subjects during static head-down rotation (HDR) and dynamic yaw and pitch (30 cycles/min) to activate the otolith organs and semicircular canals. SSNA (microneurography of peroneal nerve), cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC; laser-Doppler flux/mean arterial pressure), sweat rate (capacitance hygrometry), and body temperature were collected during normothermia and after whole body heating. Body temperature was controlled by perfusing neutral (34–35°C) or warm (44–46°C) water through a tube-lined suit. During normothermia, HDR did not alter SSNA (−0.4 ± 4.4% change), CVC (4.2 ± 6.9% change), or sweat rate (−2.7 ± 1.2% change) within the innervated area of skin. Dynamic yaw and pitch also did not elicit significant changes in SSNA, CVC, or sweat rate during normothermia. Whole body heating significantly increased internal temperature (0.8 ± 0.1°C), mean skin temperature (4.1 ± 0.2°C), CVC (322 ± 109% control), and sweat rate (0.35 ± 0.08 mg·cm−2·min−1). After whole body heating, HDR did not significantly alter SSNA (3.2 ± 7.6% change), CVC (−7.3 ± 3.9% change), or sweat rate (−3.3 ± 1.9% change). Dynamic yaw and pitch also did not produce significant changes in SSNA, CVC, or sweat rate after whole body heating. These data suggest that vestibular activation by head movements is not a nonthermal factor affecting SSNA and cutaneous end-organ responses in humans.

Sympathetic nerve activity during natural stimulation of horizontal semicircular canals in humans

1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (4) ◽  
pp. R1274-R1278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chester A. Ray ◽  
Keith M. Hume ◽  
Samuel L. Steele
Keyword(s):  
Sympathetic Nerve ◽  
Sympathetic Nerve Activity ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Nerve Activity ◽  
Natural Stimulation ◽  
Vascular Beds ◽  
Static Head ◽  
Stimulation Of

We have shown that static head-down neck flexion elicits increases in muscle (MSNA) but not skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA) in humans. These findings suggest that stimulation of the otolith organs causes differential sympathetic outflow to vascular beds. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether yaw head rotation (YHR), which stimulates the horizontal semicircular canals, elicits sympathetic nerve responses. To test this question, we recorded MSNA ( n = 33) and SSNA ( n = 25) before and during 3 min of sinusoidal YHR performed at 0.1, 0.6, and 1.0 Hz. At all frequencies, YHR elicited no significant changes in heart rate and mean arterial pressure. Likewise, YHR did not significantly change either MSNA or SSNA at all frequencies. Our results indicate that stimulation of the horizontal semicircular canals by YHR does not alter SNA to either muscle or skin. Moreover, these results provide evidence to support the concept that the otolith organs but not the horizontal semicircular canals participate in the regulation of SNA in humans.

Responses of interneurons in the cat cervical cord to vestibular tilt stimulation

1986 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 1147-1156 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Schor ◽  
I. Suzuki ◽  
S. J. Timerick ◽  
V. J. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Spinal Cord ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Body Tilt ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Cervical Cord ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Phase Lag ◽  
Response Dynamics ◽  
Decerebrate Cat ◽  
Propriospinal Neurons

The responses of interneurons in the cervical spinal cord of the decerebrate cat to whole-body tilt were studied with a goal of identifying spinal elements in the production of forelimb vestibular postural reflexes. Interneurons both in the cervical enlargement and at higher levels, from which propriospinal neurons have been identified, were examined, both in animals with intact labyrinths and in animals with nonfunctional semicircular canals (canal plugged). Most cervical interneurons responding to tilt respond best to rotations in vertical planes aligned within 30 degrees of the roll plane. Two to three times as many neurons are excited by side-up roll tilt as are excited by side-down roll. In cats with intact labyrinths, most responses have dynamics proportional either to (and in phase with) the position of the animal or to a sum of position and tilt velocity. This is consistent with input from both otolith organs and semicircular canals. In animals without functioning canals, the "velocity" response is absent. In a few cells (8 out of 76), a more complex response, characterized by an increasing gain and progressive phase lag, was observed. These response dynamics characterize the forelimb reflex in canal-plugged cats and have been previously observed in vestibular neurons in such preparations.

scholarly journals Pulsed Infrared Stimulation of Vertical Semicircular Canals Evokes Cardiovascular Changes in the Rat

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darrian Rice ◽  
Giorgio P. Martinelli ◽  
Weitao Jiang ◽  
Gay R. Holstein ◽  
Suhrud M. Rajguru
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Semicircular Canal ◽  
Parasympathetic Nervous System ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Experimental Session ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Vertical Semicircular Canals ◽  
Stimulation Of

A variety of stimuli activating vestibular end organs, including sinusoidal galvanic vestibular stimulation, whole body rotation and tilt, and head flexion have been shown to evoke significant changes in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). While a role for the vertical semicircular canals in altering autonomic activity has been hypothesized, studies to-date attribute the evoked BP and HR responses to the otolith organs. The present study determined whether unilateral activation of the posterior (PC) or anterior (AC) semicircular canal is sufficient to elicit changes in BP and/or HR. The study employed frequency-modulated pulsed infrared radiation (IR: 1,863 nm) directed via optical fibers to PC or AC of adult male Long-Evans rats. BP and HR changes were detected using a small-animal single pressure telemetry device implanted in the femoral artery. Eye movements evoked during IR of the vestibular endorgans were used to confirm the stimulation site. We found that sinusoidal IR delivered to either PC or AC elicited a rapid decrease in BP and HR followed by a stimulation frequency-matched modulation. The magnitude of the initial decrements in HR and BP did not correlate with the energy of the suprathreshold stimulus. This response pattern was consistent across multiple trials within an experimental session, replicable, and in most animals showed no evidence of habituation or an additive effect. Frequency modulated electrical current delivered to the PC and IR stimulation of the AC, caused decrements in HR and BP that resembled those evoked by IR of the PC. Frequency domain heart rate variability assessment revealed that, in most subjects, IR stimulation increased the low frequency (LF) component and decreased the high frequency (HF) component, resulting in an increase in the LF/HF ratio. This ratio estimates the relative contributions of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activities. An injection of atropine, a muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist, diminished the IR evoked changes in HR, while the non-selective beta blocker propranolol eliminated changes in both HR and BP. This study provides direct evidence that activation of a single vertical semicircular canal is sufficient to activate and modulate central pathways that control HR and BP.

Changes in the perceived head transversal plane and the subjective visual horizontal induced by Coriolis stimulation during gondola centrifugation

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 105-116
Author(s):  
Arne Tribukait ◽  
Ola Eiken
Keyword(s):  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Angular Speed ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Gravitoinertial Force ◽  
Roll Velocity ◽  
Transversal Plane ◽  
Upright Head ◽  
The Right ◽  
Otolith System

For studying the influence of the vertical semicircular canals on spatial orientation in roll, the subjective visual horizontal (SVH) and the subjective transversal plane of the head (STP) were measured in a situation where the vertical canals sense a roll-velocity stimulus while the otolith organs persistently signal that the head is upright in roll. During gondola centrifugation (resultant gravitoinertial force vector 2.5 G, gondola inclination 66 degrees) subjects were exposed to controlled rotational head movements (angular speed 27 degrees/s, magnitude 40 degrees) about the yaw (body z-) axis, produced by means of a motor-driven helmet. This causes a roll-plane Coriolis stimulus to the canals, while the otoliths persistently sense upright head position in roll. The subjects reported intense sensations of rotation and tilt in the roll plane. This was reflected in tilts of both the SVH and STP. The initial tilt of the SVH was 13.0 ± 9.7 degrees (mean ± S.D., n=10). {The STP was changed in the opposite direction}. The initial tilt was 23.8 ± 12.2 degrees (mean ± S.D., n=5). {The changes in the SVH and STP were not of equal magnitude.} A few subjects who had almost no deviations in the SVH showed pronounced tilts of the STP. The time constant for exponential decay of the tilts of the SVH and STP was on average approximately 1 minute. These findings indicate that a difference in activity of the vertical canals in the right versus left ear may cause substantial tilts of the SVH even if there is no asymmetry in the activity of the otolith system. Further, the canal stimulus may induce a tilt of the fundamental egocentric frame of reference.

Responses of caudal medullary raphe neurons to natural vestibular stimulation

1993 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 938-946 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Yates ◽  
T. Goto ◽  
I. Kerman ◽  
P. S. Bolton
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Cervical Spinal Cord ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Medullary Raphe ◽  
Vestibular Endorgans ◽  
Vector Orientation ◽  
Raphe Neurons

1. Over two thirds of caudal medullary raphespinal neurons respond to electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerve, and it has been suggested that these neurons may participate in the generation of vestibulospinal and vestibulosympathetic reflexes. The objective of the present study was to determine which vestibular endorgans (semicircular canals or otolith organs) provide inputs to these cells. 2. Experiments were conducted on decerebrate cats that were baroreceptor denervated and vagotomized, and that had a cervical spinal cord transection so that inputs from tilt-sensitive receptors outside of the labyrinth did not influence the units we recorded. 3. In most experiments, vertical vestibular stimulation was used to stimulate the anterior and posterior semicircular canals and the otolith organs. The plane of whole body rotation that produced maximal modulation of a neuron's firing rate (response vector orientation) was measured at one or more frequencies between 0.1 and 0.5 Hz. Neuron dynamics were then studied with sinusoidal (0.02-1 Hz) stimuli aligned with this orientation. Alternatively, in two animals horizontal rotations at 0.5 and 1.0 Hz were employed to stimulate the horizontal semicircular canals. 4. The properties of raphespinal neurons were similar to those of a larger sample of raphe neurons studied that either could not be antidromically activated from the cervical spinal cord or were not tested for a spinal projection. In response to vertical vestibular stimulation, > 85% of caudal medullary raphe neurons had response gains that remained relatively constant across stimulus frequencies, like regularly firing otolith afferents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Skin tattooing impairs sweating during passive whole body heating

2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (5) ◽  
pp. 1033-1038
Author(s):  
Maurie J. Luetkemeier ◽  
Dustin R. Allen ◽  
Mu Huang ◽  
Faith K. Pizzey ◽  
Iqra M. Parupia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sweat Rate ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Sweat Glands ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cholinergic Stimulation ◽  
Whole Body Heat Stress ◽  
Reflex Control ◽  
Body Heat ◽  
Eccrine Sweat Glands

This study is the first to assess the reflex control of sweating in tattooed skin. The novel findings are twofold. First, attenuated increases in sweat rate were observed in tattooed skin compared with adjacent healthy non-tattooed skin in response to a moderate increase (1.0°C) in internal temperature during a passive whole body heat stress. Second, reduced sweating in tattooed skin is likely related to functional damage to the secretory mechanisms of eccrine sweat glands, rendering it less responsive to cholinergic stimulation.

scholarly journals Is active sweating during heat acclimation required for improvements in peripheral sweat gland function?

2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (4) ◽  
pp. R1082-R1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Buono ◽  
Travis R. Numan ◽  
Ryan M. Claros ◽  
Stephanie K. Brodine ◽  
Fred W. Kolkhorst
Keyword(s):  
Sweat Gland ◽  
Sweat Rate ◽  
Heat Acclimation ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Sweat Glands ◽  
Exercise Heart Rate ◽  
Sweat Production ◽  
Gland Function ◽  
Pilocarpine Iontophoresis

We investigated whether the eccrine sweat glands must actively produce sweat during heat acclimation if they are to adapt and increase their capacity to sweat. Eight volunteers received intradermal injections of BOTOX, to prevent neural stimulation and sweat production of the sweat glands during heat acclimation, and saline injections as a control in the contralateral forearm. Subjects performed 90 min of moderate-intensity exercise in the heat (35°C, 40% relative humidity) on 10 consecutive days. Heat acclimation decreased end-exercise heart rate (156 ± 22 vs. 138 ± 17 beats/min; P = 0.0001) and rectal temperature (38.2 ± 0.3 vs. 37.9 ± 0.3°C; P = 0.0003) and increased whole body sweat rate (0.70 ± 0.29 vs. 1.06 ± 0.50 l/h; P = 0.030). During heat acclimation, there was no measurable sweating in the BOTOX-treated forearm, but the control forearm sweat rate during exercise increased 40% over the 10 days ( P = 0.040). Peripheral sweat gland function was assessed using pilocarpine iontophoresis before and after heat acclimation. Before heat acclimation, the pilocarpine-induced sweat rate of the control and BOTOX-injected forearms did not differ (0.65 ± 0.20 vs. 0.66 ± 0.22 mg·cm−2·min−1). However, following heat acclimation, the pilocarpine-induced sweat rate in the control arm increased 18% to 0.77 ± 0.21 mg·cm−2·min−1 ( P = 0.021) but decreased 52% to 0.32 ± 0.18 mg·cm−2·min−1 ( P < 0.001) in the BOTOX-treated arm. Using complete chemodenervation of the sweat glands, coupled with direct cholinergic stimulation via pilocarpine iontophoresis, we demonstrated that sweat glands must be active during heat acclimation if they are to adapt and increase their capacity to sweat.

scholarly journals Gravity Dependence of Subjective Visual Vertical Variability

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 1657-1671 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Tarnutzer ◽  
C. Bockisch ◽  
D. Straumann ◽  
I. Olasagasti
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Force ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
The Body ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Subjective Visual Vertical ◽  
Visual Vertical ◽  
Head Roll ◽  
Static Head ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
Vertical Variability

The brain integrates sensory input from the otolith organs, the semicircular canals, and the somatosensory and visual systems to determine self-orientation relative to gravity. Only the otoliths directly sense the gravito-inertial force vector and therefore provide the major input for perceiving static head-roll relative to gravity, as measured by the subjective visual vertical (SVV). Intraindividual SVV variability increases with head roll, which suggests that the effectiveness of the otolith signal is roll-angle dependent. We asked whether SVV variability reflects the spatial distribution of the otolithic sensors and the otolith-derived acceleration estimate. Subjects were placed in different roll orientations (0–360°, 15° steps) and asked to align an arrow with perceived vertical. Variability was minimal in upright, increased with head-roll peaking around 120–135°, and decreased to intermediate values at 180°. Otolith-dependent variability was modeled by taking into consideration the nonuniform distribution of the otolith afferents and their nonlinear firing rate. The otolith-derived estimate was combined with an internal bias shifting the estimated gravity-vector toward the body-longitudinal. Assuming an efficient otolith estimator at all roll angles, peak variability of the model matched our data; however, modeled variability in upside-down and upright positions was very similar, which is at odds with our findings. By decreasing the effectiveness of the otolith estimator with increasing roll, simulated variability matched our experimental findings better. We suggest that modulations of SVV precision in the roll plane are related to the properties of the otolith sensors and to central computational mechanisms that are not optimally tuned for roll-angles distant from upright.

Interaction of the vestibular system and baroreflexes on sympathetic nerve activity in humans

2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (5) ◽  
pp. H2399-H2404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chester A. Ray
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular System ◽  
Sympathetic Nerve ◽  
Sympathetic Nerve Activity ◽  
Lower Body Negative Pressure ◽  
Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Nerve Activity ◽  
Vestibulosympathetic Reflex ◽  
Otolith Stimulation

Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) is altered by vestibular otolith stimulation. This study examined interactive effects of the vestibular system and baroreflexes on MSNA in humans. In study 1, MSNA was measured during 4 min of lower body negative pressure (LBNP) at either −10 or −30 mmHg with subjects in prone posture. During the 3rd min of LBNP, subjects lowered their head over the end of a table (head-down rotation, HDR) to engage the otolith organs. The head was returned to baseline upright position during the 4th min. LBNP increased MSNA above baseline during both trials with greater increases during the −30-mmHg trial. HDR increased MSNA further during the 3rd min of LBNP at −10 and −30 mmHg (Δ32% and Δ34%, respectively; P < 0.01). MSNA returned to pre-HDR levels during the 4th min of LBNP when the head was returned upright. In study 2, MSNA was measured during HDR, LBNP, and simultaneously performed HDR and LBNP. The sum of MSNA responses during individual HDR and LBNP trials was not significantly different from that observed during HDR and LBNP performed together (Δ131 ± 28 vs. Δ118 ± 47 units and Δ340 ± 77 vs. Δ380 ± 90 units for the −10 and −30 trials, respectively). These results demonstrate that vestibular otolith stimulation can increase MSNA during unloading of the cardiopulmonary and arterial baroreflexes. Also, the interaction between the vestibulosympathetic reflex and baroreflexes is additive in humans. These studies indicate that the vestibulosympathetic reflex may help defend against orthostatic challenges in humans by increasing sympathetic outflow.

scholarly journals Cerebellar contributions to self-motion perception: evidence from patients with congenital cerebellar agenesis

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (5) ◽  
pp. 2280-2285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kilian Dahlem ◽  
Yulia Valko ◽  
Jeremy D. Schmahmann ◽  
Richard F. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Motion Perception ◽  
Semicircular Canals ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Head Motion ◽  
Otolith Organs ◽  
Sensory Discrimination ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Auditory Systems ◽  
Congenital Agenesis ◽  
Self Motion

The cerebellum was historically considered a brain region dedicated to motor control, but it has become clear that it also contributes to sensory processing, particularly when sensory discrimination is required. Prior work, for example, has demonstrated a cerebellar contribution to sensory discrimination in the visual and auditory systems. The cerebellum also receives extensive inputs from the motion and gravity sensors in the vestibular labyrinth, but its role in the perception of head motion and orientation has received little attention. Drawing on the lesion-deficit approach to understanding brain function, we evaluated the contributions of the cerebellum to head motion perception by measuring perceptual thresholds in two subjects with congenital agenesis of the cerebellum. We used a set of passive motion paradigms that activated the semicircular canals or otolith organs in isolation or combination, and compared results of the agenesis patients with healthy control subjects. Perceptual thresholds for head motion were elevated in the agenesis subjects for all motion protocols, most prominently for paradigms that only activated otolith inputs. These results demonstrate that the cerebellum increases the sensitivity of the brain to the motion and orientation signals provided by the labyrinth during passive head movements.

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