AJP - Regu Fuel your research with LabChart
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 266: R257-R267, 1994;
0363-6119/94 $5.00
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Akeyson, E. W.
Right arrow Articles by Schramm, L. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Akeyson, E. W.
Right arrow Articles by Schramm, L. P.

AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 266, Issue 1 257-R267, Copyright © 1994 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

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

E. W. Akeyson and L. P. Schramm
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.

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.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol.Home page
Y. Yuan, M. J. Chandler, R. D. Foreman, and J. P. Farber
Effects of abdominal or cardiopulmonary sympathetic afferents on upper cervical inspiratory neurons
Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, May 1, 2000; 278(5): R1289 - R1295.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Visit Other APS Journals Online