title: Integration of cornea and cardiorespiratory afferents in the nucleus of the solitary tract of the rat.
abstract: We determined the activity of neurons within the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) after stimulation of the cornea and assessed whether this input affected the processing of baroreceptor and peripheral chemoreceptor inputs. In an in situ, unanesthetized decerebrate working heart-brain stem preparation of the rat, noxious mechanical or electrical stimulation was applied to the cornea, and extracellular single unit recordings were made from NTS neurons. Cornea nociceptor stimulation evoked bradycardia and an increase in the cycle length of the phrenic nerve discharge. Of 90 NTS neurons with ongoing activity, corneal stimulation excited 51 and depressed 39. There was a high degree of convergence to these NTS neurons from either baroreceptors or chemoreceptors. The excitatory synaptic response in 12 of 19 baroreceptive and 10 of 15 chemoreceptive neurons was attenuated significantly during concomitant electrical stimulation of the cornea. This inhibition was GABA(A) receptor mediated, being blocked by pressure ejection of bicuculline. Thus the NTS integrates information from corneal receptors, some of which converges onto neurons mediating reflexes from baroreceptors and chemoreceptors to inhibit these inputs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, United Kingdom. P.Boscan@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boscan
authors.forename: Julian F R
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Paton
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D003315:Cornea / Q000294:innervation*; D003655:Decerebrate State; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000294:innervation*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C017069:bicuculline methiodide; D001640:Bicuculline