Ascending pathways mediating cardiovascular signals to the ventral posterior lateral nucleus of thalamus in the cat.

概要

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Neuronal activities in the ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL) of the cat thalamus were recorded extracellularly using the multimicroelectrode system. In spontaneous activities, some neurons received information from structures related to cardiovascular movement and also from peripheral somatic receptive fields (Rfs). These unitary activities were synchronized with heart beat, therefore they are called as heart beat (HB) discharges. This phenomenon may be concerned with referred pain. Thus, some VPL neurons appear to relay cardiovascular information to the cerebral cortex. The characteristics of 39 HB units were determined by mechanical stimulation such as bending hair, tapping, pinching and joint movement. To investigate the ascending pathways, transection of vagi and partial spinal cord lesions at the cervical level were performed. HB activities were unaffected by bilateral vagotomy. Some of the HB activities disappeared following partial cordotomy of the lateral portion of the ventrolateral funiculus ipsilateral to the receptive field. However, evoked responses to electrical stimulation applied to the HB Rfs persisted. After the remaining cord was severed, the evoked responses vanished. These results show that afferent signals of HB activities and evoked responses to electrical stimulation appear to ascend through different pathways and converge at the thalamic level.
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