title: Frequency response characteristics of sympathetic transmission to skin vascular smooth muscles in rats.
abstract: Sympathetic modulation of cutaneous vasomotor waves in humans is most effective at frequencies up to 0.1 Hz. In contrast, sympathetic modulation of mesenteric vasomotor waves in rats is strongest in the frequency band between 0.2 and 0.75 Hz. Therefore, we addressed the question as to whether these different frequency response characteristics are due to species- or organ-specific disparities. Eleven Sprague-Dawley rats were instrumented with catheters in the carotid artery and in the jugular vein, together with electrodes on the centrally sectioned left lumbar sympathetic trunk (LST) and laser Doppler flow probes directed to the plantar surface of the skin of the left and right hind paws. In anesthetized rats, the LST was electrically stimulated at eight different stimulation frequencies, and the responses in laser Doppler blood flow were recorded in the skin of the ipsilateral and contralateral paw. At stimulation frequencies <0.2 Hz, LST stimulation induced corresponding oscillations in skin blood flow in the ipsilateral, but not in the contralateral, paw. These dynamic responses to LST stimulation in the ipsilateral paw were strongest at 0.05 and 0.075 Hz. At higher stimulation frequencies a tonic vasoconstriction was observed. It is concluded that organ-specific disparities exist in sympathetic transmission to vascular smooth muscles, whereas no species-specific differences are apparent in sympathetic transmission to cutaneous blood vessels of humans and rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Humboldt University, Charité, 10117 Berlin, Germany. harold.stauss@rz-huberlin.de
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Stauss
authors.forename: J U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Stegmann
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Häbler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006614:Hindlimb; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000502:physiology