title: Cardiopulmonary sympathetic and vagal afferents excite C1-C2 propriospinal cells in rats.
abstract: The purpose of this study in anesthetized rats was to determine the effects of stimulating cardiopulmonary sympathetic afferents (CPSA) and vagal afferents on C1-C2 descending propriospinal neurons. We hypothesized that inhibition of spinal sensory neurons produced by CPSA or vagus activation might relay in C1-C2 spinal segments. Extracellular action potentials were recorded from 73 C1-C2 neurons whose axons were antidromically activated in lumbar segments. CPSA input excited 22 cells, inhibited two cells and excited/inhibited one cell, whereas vagal input excited eight cells and inhibited two cells. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that CPSA input can be processed in C1-C2 segments to produce neural modulation in distant spinal segments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, P.O. Box 26901, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, USA.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Margaret J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chandler
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Foreman
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000320:Adrenergic Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D008168:Lung / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D017833:Visceral Afferents / Q000502:physiology*