title: Parasympathetic stimulation elicits cerebral vasodilatation in rat.
abstract: Forebrain arteries receive nitroxidergic input from parasympathetic ganglionic fibers that arise from the pterygopalatine ganglia. Previous studies have shown that ganglionic stimulation in some species led to cerebral vasodilatation while interruption of those fibers interfered with vasodilatation seen during acute hypertension. Because the ganglionic fibers are quite delicate and are easily damaged when the ganglia are approached with published techniques we sought to develop a method that allowed clear exposure of the ganglia and permitted demonstration of cerebral vasodilatation with electrical stimulation of the ganglia in the rat. We had found that an orbital approach during which the eye was retracted for visualization of the ganglion precluded eliciting vasodilatation with ganglionic stimulation. In the current study approaching the ganglion through an incision over the zygomatic arch provided clear exposure of the ganglion and stimulation of the ganglion with that approach led to vasodilatation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, VAMC and Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA. william-talman@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: William T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Talman
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corr
authors.forename: Deidre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nitschke Dragon
authors.forename: DeQiang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000294:innervation* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005726:Ganglia, Parasympathetic / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D026602:Nitrergic Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D017777:Parasympathetic Fibers, Postganglionic / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology*; D015050:Zygoma / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide