title: [Membrane electrical properties of visceral nociceptive neurons in anterior cingulate gyrus of cat].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the cerebral cortex mechanism of visceral nociceptive sensation and its characteristics on the cell level, we investigated the membrane electrical properties of 176 stimulus-relative neurons of greater splanchnic nerve (GSN) in anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) of 20 adult healthy cats.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used intracellular recording techniques of glass microelectrode and injected polarizing current into the neurons in ACG.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 176 neurons, 148 were visceral nociceptive neurons (VNNs) and 28 non-visceral nociceptive neurons (NVNNs). The membrane resistance (Rm), time constant (tau), membrane capacity (Cm), and the I-V curve of both VNNs and NVNNs in ACG were significantly different. The discharge frequency and amplitude of both VNNs and NVNNs produced by injecting depolarized current were different, too.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that structure of cell membrane, volume of the soma, and other aspects of morphology between VNNs and NVNNs in ACG may have significant differences. The results also might provide progressively experimental evidence for specific theory of pain sensation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang 110034, China.
authors.forename: Min-Fan
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Guo-Xi
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Teng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D013153:Splanchnic Nerves / Q000502:physiology*; D017833:Visceral Afferents / Q000502:physiology*