Noxious intensities of visceral stimulation are required to activate viscerosomatic multireceptive neurons in the thoracic spinal cord of the cat.
Single unit electrical activity has been recorded from neurons in the Th8 and Th9 segments of the spinal cord in chloralose-anesthetized cats. These neurons had cutaneous receptive fields in the right costal region from which they could be driven by noxious and/or innocuous stimulation of the skin. They could also be activated by distensions of the biliary system but only at noxious intensities of visceral stimulation. No viscero-somatic convergent neurons has been found responding to innocuous visceral stimulation.
D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000294:innervation*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*