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PubMed2005

Blink reflex R2 recovery curves in patients with facial palsy within ten days after onset.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute changes in blink reflex responses in patients with facial palsy. We used the blink reflex R2 recovery curves as an index of the excitability of the blink reflex neural circuit and evaluated the excitability of the blink reflex within 10 days after onset. Twelve patients with peripheral facial palsy were selected on condition that the degree of facial palsy was so mild that R2 responses of the blink reflex were measurable on the affected side, and they were compared with 12 healthy volunteers. Conditioning and test electrical stimuli were delivered on the affected side of the supraorbital nerve. Ipsilateral R2 response (iR2) of the blink reflex in patients was significantly enhanced at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) between conditioning and test stimuli from 100 to 1,000 ms, in comparison with the control subjects. These findings suggested hyperexcitability of the blink reflex neural circuit in patients with facial palsy. In addition to iR2, contralateral R2 response (cR2) in the patients was also significantly increased at ISIs of 100-1,000 ms to the same extent as the enhancement of iR2. All these findings suggested that the hyperexcitable changes developed in a common pathway of iR2 and cR2, but not in the ipsilateral facial motor neurons. It is suggested that the hyperexcitability of the neural circuit of the blink reflex during an acute period of facial palsy is an adaptive response to compensate for impaired facial motor function.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

The palmo-mental reflex. An electrophysiological study.

Repeated electric stimulation of the ulnar nerve fibers was applied at the wrist in 7 normal and 32 pathological subjects; the response reflexes were simultaneously recorded in the chin muscles and at the upper limb, on the flexor carpi ulnaris. Although it is possible to obtain two distinct polysynaptic reflexes by cutaneous stimulation of the limb, the palmo-mental reflex causes a unique response, the latency of which may diminish to 35 msec. This response occurs most often at the threshold which elicits a nociceptive reflex of the upper limb. The palmo-mental reflex is almost always bilateral for a unilateral stimulation and in numerous instances is characterized by a wide receptive field. These findings suggest that the palmo-mental reflex is an early event in a general nociceptive response. In the normal subject this fragment of a general response to a painful stimulus is highly suppressed as are the local reflexes by suprasegmental control. The palmo-mental reflex is liberated and augmented in the event of habitually bilateral lesions of the pyramidal tract or the extra-pyramidal formations.

Chin↗
PubMed1991

Activation of cardiac sympathetic afferents during coronary occlusion. Evidence for reflex activation of sympathetic nervous system during transmural myocardial ischemia in the dog.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular sympathetic afferent nerves are located mainly in superficial epicardial layers. Reflex excitatory responses mediated by sympathetic afferent nerves have been observed during myocardial ischemia in cats and humans but not in dogs. Previous canine studies have induced ischemia by occlusion of a coronary artery. Extensive collateral circulation in the canine heart may limit ischemia of epicardial layers during simple coronary occlusion, resulting in little stimulation of sympathetic afferent nerves and minimal reflex excitatory responses. METHODS AND RESULTS: In anesthetized dogs with sinoaortic and vagal deafferentation, we determined whether reflex sympathoexcitatory responses mediated by sympathetic afferents occurred during transmural myocardial ischemia. Reflex sympathoexcitation was quantitated by direct recording from either efferent renal (n = 20) or cardiac (n = 5) sympathetic nerves. Responses of arterial pressure and efferent sympathetic nerve activity were measured during simple occlusion of the anterior descending artery (LAD alone) and during LAD occlusion with a circumflex stenosis (LAD + CIRC). This circumflex stenosis was adjusted to abolish coronary vasodilator reserve without reducing basal flow. We observed significantly greater reflex increases in renal (32 +/- 5%) and cardiac (58 +/- 15%) nerve activity during LAD + CIRC than during LAD alone (14 +/- 6% and 8 +/- 7%, respectively). Reflex changes in renal nerve activity during LAD + CIRC were abolished by interruption of cardiac sympathetic afferent pathways (n = 5). In eight experiments, myocardial blood flow was measured during the two coronary occlusions. These experiments confirmed that LAD + CIRC elicited more transmural ischemia in the LAD distribution than did LAD alone. However, these experiments also revealed that LAD + CIRC elicited endocardial ischemia in the circumflex distribution. In five additional experiments, regional sympathetic deafferentation of the posterior left ventricle by epicardial application of 88% phenol along the atrioventricular groove had no significant effect on renal nerve responses to LAD + CIRC (36 +/- 5% increase before phenol versus 31 +/- 3% increase after phenol). These results indicate that endocardial ischemia in the circumflex distribution did not contribute to the reflex increases in nerve activity that were noted during LAD + CIRC. CONCLUSIONS: Reflex sympathoexcitation mediated by cardiac sympathetic afferents can be elicited in dogs. However, these responses are significant only during ischemia that is transmural and involves the superficial epicardial layers of the left ventricle.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1975

Influence of cardiopulmonary vagal afferent activity on carotid chemoreceptor and baroreceptor reflexes in the dog.

The goal of this study was to determine if physiological levels of cardiopulmonary vagal afferent activity modulate carotid chemoreceptor and baroreceptor reflexes. In anesthetized, ventilated dogs, the aortic nerves and the cervical sympathetic trunks were cut, and atropine was administered so that vagotomy would interrupt only cardiopulmonary afferent impulses. Reflex vascular responses were observed in perfused gracilis muscle and hindpaw. Carotid chemoreceptors were activated with nicotine or hypoxic, hypercapnic blood; carotid baroreceptors were stimulated by changes in carotid pressure. Interruption of vaga afferents augmented reflex vascular responses during changes incarotid pressure from 75 to 125 mm Hg. Interruption of cardiopulmonary vagal afferents potentiated reflex vasoconstrictor (muscle), vasodilator (paw), and vasopressor responses to activation of the carotid chemoreceptors. The potentiation of the chemoreceptor reflex frequently occurred in the absence of increases in base-line vascular resistance. Vagotomy also potentiated ventilatory responses to stimulation of the carotid chemoreceptors in spontaneously breathing dogs. The results indicate that interruption of cardiopulmonary afferents potentiates the vascular and ventilatory responses to activation of the carotid chemoreceptors and augments the gain of the carotid baroreceptor reflex at low carotid pressures. These findings suggest that physiological levels of cardiopulmonary vagal afferent impulses suppress carotid baroreceptor and chemoreceptor reflexes through an interaction in the central nervous system. The suppressive effect on the chemoreceptor reflex may be distinct from tonic restraint of the vasomotor center by vagal afferents, since it involves sympathetic vasodilator as well as vasoconstrictor responses and may occur without suppression of base-line adrenergic constrictor tone.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1976

Interactions between sino-aortic reflexes and cardiovascular effects of sleep and emotional behavior in the cat.

The role of sino-aortic reflexes in the control of circulation during normal behavior was investigated by comparing cardiovascular reactions during various but reproducible types of behavior before and after bilateral sino-aortic deafferentation. Chronic deafferentation caused little change in baseline blood pressure, but a subtler, important role of sino-aortic reflexes was revealed by examining the integrated cardiovascular responses to behavioral stimuli. During desynchronized sleep, the buffering action of sino-aortic reflexes prevented a marked and diffuse vasodilation, with an action that was particularly evident on muscle blood vessels. During emotional behavior, especially when emotion was accompanied by movement, sino-aortic reflexes opposed the consequences of muscle vasodilation by inducing tachycardia and vasoconstriction in the viscera and in noncontracting muscles. A reciprocal type of interaction between behavior and sino-aortic reflexes was shown by testing the amplitude of the carotid occlusion response before and during desynchronized sleep; the latter condition was consistently associated with decreased effectiveness of the reflex response. The possibility is considered that this might indicate central suppression of the carotid sinus reflex during desynchronized sleep and that a similar inhibitory interference might occur during emotional behavior. Alternatively, reduction of the reflex response might result from a shift of the stimulus-response curve on either side of its steep portion.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Suppression of jaw-opening and trigemino-hypoglossal reflexes during swallowing in the cat.

Jaw-opening and trigemino-hypoglossal reflexes can be evoked by innocuous as well as noxious afferents from intra-oral structures. It has been reported that the amplitude of the jaw-opening reflex evoked by weak electrical stimulation of the upper lip is subject not only to tonic suppression but also to phase-linked modulation during mastication. In this study, we investigated whether the jaw-opening and trigemino-hypoglossal reflexes are modulated during swallowing. Data were obtained from 8 chloralose-anesthetized cats. Reflexes were monitored by electromyographic activities recorded from the anterior digastric, genioglossus, and styloglossus muscles and, after paralysis, by the efferent discharge in the digastric and hypoglossal nerves. Swallowing was elicited either by water dropped on the tongue or by repetitive stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve. Jaw-opening and trigemino-hypoglossal reflexes were evoked by stimulation of the lingual nerve, and the evoked afferent volley was recorded from the Gasserian ganglion so that the threshold of the lingual nerve could be determined. The following results were obtained: (1) The jaw-opening and trigemino-hypoglossal reflexes evoked by stimulation of the low-threshold, but not high-threshold, lingual afferents were remarkably suppressed during swallowing; and (2) both the jaw-opening and trigemino-hypoglossal reflexes evoked by low-threshold lingual afferents were suppressed during fictive swallowing after the animals were paralyzed. We conclude that the jaw-opening and trigemino-hypoglossal reflexes evoked by low-threshold lingual afferents are suppressed during swallowing by a central motor program.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed2005

Effects of peripheral sympathetic blockade with dapiprazole on the fear-inhibited light reflex.

Fear (e.g. associated with the threat of an electric shock) causes an increase in initial pupil diameter (IPD) and a decrease in the amplitude of the light reflex response. There is evidence for dissociation between the two responses to threat: only the reduction in light reflex response amplitude is sensitive to the anxiolytic drug diazepam. We examined the effects of peripheral sympathetic blockade with the alpha(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist dapiprazole on both responses to threat on the basis of the hypothesis that only the response of the IPD will be affected, whereas the response of the light reflex will remain unaffected. Twelve healthy volunteers (Experiment 1) and eight healthy volunteers with smaller pupils (Experiment 2) participated in one experimental session. Dapiprazole 0.5% (two drops of 20 microl, three times) was instilled in the subjects' right or left eye while the contralateral eye was treated with placebo eye drops (artificial tear, two drops of 20 microl, three times) according to a single-blind balanced design. Pupil diameter was monitored by infrared binocular television pupillometry. At the point of maximum dapiprazole-evoked miosis, the light reflex was elicited three times in each of three Safe blocks (no possibility of electric shock), alternating with three Threat blocks (possibility of electric shock). At the end of each Safe and Threat block, subjects rated their mood and feelings on the Visual Analogue Scales. In Experiment 1, dapiprazole caused significant miosis. Threat increased subjectively rated anxiety and inhibited the light reflex. The inhibition of the light reflex was unaffected by dapiprazole. The threat-induced increase in IPD was also unaffected by dapiprazole, probably due to a ceiling effect curtailing the threat-induced increase in IPD. In the smaller pupil group in Experiment 2, where the possible contribution of a ceiling effect was minimized, dapiprazole suppressed the threat-induced increase in IPD. The inhibition of the light reflex by threat is likely to reflect central parasympathetic inhibition and is unlikely to involve the peripheral sympathetic innervation of the iris. The threat-induced increase in IPD is likely to reflect mainly central sympathetic excitation. The different central autonomic mechanisms underlying the two pupillary responses to threat may explain the dissociation between the separate effects of threat on IPD and light reflex amplitude.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
PubMed1998

The effects of clonidine on the fear-inhibited light reflex.

We have shown previously that pupil diameter increases and the amplitude of the pupillary light reflex is reduced when subjects are under threat of an aversive event (electric shock), and that light reflex amplitude correlates negatively with subjective anxiety. Furthermore, we have shown that the threat-induced reduction in light reflex amplitude is sensitive to the effect of the anxiolytic drug diazepam. We have suggested that the 'fear-inhibited light reflex' paradigm could be used as a laboratory model of human anxiety. In the present study, we examined whether a single oral dose (200 microg) of the sedative-sympatholytic drug clonidine would antagonize the effects of threat on the pupillary light reflex. Twelve healthy male volunteers participated in two sessions separated by seven days in which they ingested clonidine 200 mg or placebo in a double-blind, balanced, cross-over design. Light stimuli (0.43 mW/cm2, 200 msec) were generated by a green (peak wavelength 565 nm) light-emitting diode, and pupil diameter was monitored by computerized binocular infrared television pupillometry in the dark. The light reflex response was recorded during either the anticipation of a shock ('threat' blocks) or periods in which no shocks were anticipated ('safe' blocks). The shock was a single square wave current pulse (1.5 mA, 50 msec) applied to the median nerve at the end of the experiment. Following each 'threat' or 'safe' block, subjects rated their anxiety using visual analogue scales. Two-factor ANOVA (treatment x condition) showed that clonidine treatment antagonized both the threat-induced increase in pupil diameter and the threat-induced reduction in light reflex amplitude. These effects, however, were not threat-specific since clonidine also reduced pupil diameter and enhanced light reflex amplitude in the 'safe' condition. Clonidine also reduced subjective alertness but not subjective anxiety in the 'threat' condition. These findings suggest that the mutual antagonism between clonidine and threat is likely to reflect the opposite effects of the two variables on the central noradrenergic control of pupillary functions, rather than a specific anxiolytic effect.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The evolution of primitive reflexes in extremely premature infants.

A longitudinal study describes the pattern of appearance of eight primitive reflexes in a population of 47 viable extremely premature infants, beginning as early as 25 wk postconceptional age (PCA). Infants were examined weekly, from 1 wk of age until discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit. Primitive reflexes were graded as to completeness and intensity of response. Three patterns emerged: the upper and lower extremity grasp reflexes were present in all premature infants, from 25 wk and beyond, the Moro, asymmetric tonic neck reflex and Galant (lateral trunk incurvature reflex) were present in some premature infants as early as 25 wk PCA, and in the majority by 30 wk PCA, and the lower extremity placing, positive support, and stepping were occasionally present prior to 30 wk PCA, yet were not uniformly present and/or complete even at term. In each case, the primitive reflex became stronger, more complete, more consistently elicited and more prevalent with increasing postconceptional age. The pattern of primitive reflexes in the premature infant at term (40 wk PCA) is similar to that of full-term newborns. Sequential assessment of the primitive reflexes may be a useful method of evaluating extremely premature infants prior to term.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1980

Three primitive reflexes in normal adults.

One or more of three primitive reflexes (palmomental, snout, and corneomandible) was elicited in 50.5% of 105 normal subjects in the third through the ninth decades of life. The reflexes appeared in a patterned fashion with advancing age. The palmomental reflex appeared earliest and was the most frequent reflex elicited at all ages. The snout and corneomandibular reflexes appeared at later ages and were elicited less frequently. The palmomental and snout reflexes often occurred alone, but the corneomandibular was elicited only when one or both of the other reflexes was also present. These reflexes appear to be normal phenomena in a significant proportion of the healthy population.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Plasticity and proprioception in insects. II. Modes of reflex action of the locust metathoracic femoral chordotonal organ.

Reflex responses of tibial motoneurones were examined during mechanical stimulation of the femoral chordotonal organ, a joint angle receptor of the locust hindleg. Step displacements of the main ligament of the organ, mimicking 10-15 degree changes in joint angle, produced different patterns of discharge in motoneurones (1) when the leg was resting against a support and (2) when the support was removed to induce active searching movements. Tibial motoneurones showed resistance reflex responses to oppose the apparent joint movement when the leg rested against a support. Resistance reflexes consisted of constant, short latency excitatory responses followed by discharges that varied in intensity (gain) and degree of tonic coupling. These variations were not due to simple summation with other inputs to motoneurones. Responses changed during periods of active searching movements. Tibial flexor motoneurones fired phasically in response to apparent joint movement in any direction. Tibial extensor motoneurones were generally inhibited by chordotonal inputs. These reflex changes are not simple reflex 'reversals', but represent more complex changes in reflex mode. Potential functions of each of these reflex modes and the need for plasticity in reflexes of the chordotonal organ are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Intersegmental reflex coordination by a single joint receptor organ (CB) in rock lobster walking legs.

In the decapod Crustacea, Palinurus vulgaris and Fasus lalandii, the reflex influences of one particular proprioceptor organ, the coxo-basal chordotonal organ (CB), on all the muscles operating the proximal and distal joints of the same leg, have been analysed. The distal end of CB was clamped in fine forceps mounted on a servo-controlled stretcher, and CB length changes of 2 mm were applied. Motor unit activity of the different muscles was recorded as electromyograms (EMGs). 1. Two types of proprioceptive reflex evoked by CB length changes have been investigated: (a) resistance reflexes of the two levator and two depressor muscles of the same leg segment, the coxopodite, i.e. 'intrasegmental reflexes', (b) 'intersegmental reflexes' induced in the muscles operating the proximal (T-C) joint of the same leg, and in all eight muscles of the limb segments distat to CB. 2. Both levator muscles respond reflexly to imposed CB stretch (which normally occurs with limb 'depression'), while both depressors respond during CB shortening (or passive "elevation" of the leg). 3. Intersegmentally CB stretch reflexly activates the M-C extensor muscle, and sometimes facilitates the T-C remotor and C-P bender muscles. Shortening of the single CB organ of a leg excites one or two tonic motor units of the T-C promotor and M-C flexor muscles, and also facilitates the remotor, I-M reductor, and the single stretcher-opener excitatory motoneurone. 4. Some of the muscles, particularly the M-C flexor and extensor muscles, are also influenced intersegmentally by the resting length of CB, usually but not invariably in the same direction as for the corresponding dynamic reflexes. The role of the CB chordotonal organ is discussed, with particular consideration of its intersegmental reflex influence on the posture of the entire leg, and on the more complex motor behaviour of locomotion, where it may be specially significant in coordination of the limb in lateral walking. A complex picture of both tonic and dynamic, inra- and intersegmental reflex regulation of the positions and movements of the limb segments, thus emerges.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Conditioned patellar tendon reflexes in sprint- and endurance-trained athletes.

Tendon reflex characteristics were examined in endurance-trained, sprint-trained, and control subjects (10 SS/group) using a conditioned patellar tendon reflex (PTR) paradigm. Paired PTRs were administered using inter-tap intervals of 0, 25, 50, 75, 150, and 300 ms, with the left leg reflex elicited first, followed by a right leg PTR. A force transducer secured at the ankle was used to measure peak force, time to peak force, and reflex latency. In the unilateral condition, significant differences (P less than 0.05) existed between athletic groups, with the sprint-trained athletes exhibiting greater peak force, faster time to peak force, and faster reflex latency than the endurance athletes. Significant differences (P less than 0.05) also existed for the conditioned reflex. There was a slight depression in reflex parameters in the untrained and sprint-trained groups up to an interval of 50 ms. At later intervals (greater than 50 ms), a marked enhancement occurred in all groups for all dependent measures studied. This longer latency excitatory effect persisted until the 150 ms interval. These differences in both simple and conditioned reflexes in individuals trained for endurance and sprint activities may reflect inherent differences in muscle-tendon stiffness or neural organization.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Analysis of efferent discharges of the phrenic nerve during the cough reflex.

The response of the phrenic nerve activities during the cough reflex was investigated in anesthetized dogs. The phrenic nerve activities were recorded from the central cut end of the nerve. Changes in phrenic nerve activities were evaluated by means of computer analysis using the programs for power spectrum, amplitude histogram, pulse density variation, and autocorrelation. The cough reflex was induced by mechanical stimulation of the tracheal mucosa. The cough reflex evoked was accompanied by an increase in the number of spike potentials and shortening of the respiratory burst period of the phrenic nerve activities. There was a significant correlation between the intensity of expiration and the multiplication product of the mean amplitude of spike potentials and spike numbers of the phrenic nerve activities during the cough reflex. Total activity of the discharge, amplitude of spike potentials, and pulse density of the phrenic nerve activities also increased during the cough reflex, while the autocorrelation coefficient decreased. These changes were inhibited by codeine. The responses of the phrenic nerve activity during the cough reflex were also observed under artificial respiration as well as under spontaneous respiration. These findings indicate that the phrenic nerve activity can be an indicator of the cough reflex, and it is useful for the indicator to investigate the central mechanisms of the cough reflex.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Involvement of central serotonergic mechanisms in the cough reflex.

To determine the role of central serotonergic systems in modulating the cough reflex, the effects of serotonergic agonists on the respiration and the cough reflex were comparatively studied. Male and female cats were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital. Respiration and cough reflex were measured using a pneumotachograph via a cannula inserted into the trachea. The cough reflex was elicited by electrical stimuli to the superior laryngeal nerve. Tranylcypromine, a MAO inhibitor, in a dose of 5 mg/kg, i.v., increased the respiration, but depressed the cough reflex. The serotonin precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan (5 mg/kg, i.v.) depressed the respiration and the cough reflex. Haloperidol (2 mg/kg, i.v.) abolished the tranylcypromine-stimulated respiratory responses, and it intensified the tranylcypromine induced cough depression. It is concluded that the increase in serotonin levels in the brain has a depressant influence on the central generating mechanisms of the cough reflex. Furthermore, central dopaminergic mechanisms seem to play a modulating role on the cough reflex.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed1993

The effects of centrally acting muscle relaxants on the intrathecal noradrenaline-induced facilitation of the flexor reflex mediated by group II afferent fibers in rats.

The effects of centrally acting muscle relaxants on the flexor reflex mediated by group II afferent fibers (group II flexor reflex) in anesthetized intact rats and on the intrathecal noradrenaline-HCl-induced facilitation of the group II flexor reflex in anesthetized spinal rats were investigated. In anesthetized intact rats, mephenesin, tolperisone-HCl, chlorpromazine-HCl and baclofen inhibited the group II flexor reflex dose-dependently, whereas the inhibitory effect of tizanidine-HCl was bell-shaped. The effect of diazepam tended to be saturated. In anesthetized spinal rats, mephenesin, tolperisone-HCl, chlorpromazine-HCl, diazepam and baclofen also depressed the group II flexor reflex, but tizanidine-HCl slightly increased it. The intrathecal noradrenaline-HCl-induced facilitation of the group II flexor reflex was not affected by mephenesin or diazepam, but was inhibited by tizanidine-HCl, tolperisone-HCl, chlorpromazine-HCl and baclofen. These results suggest that compounds with centrally acting muscle relaxant activity depress the group II flexor reflex in different manners, and the inhibition of descending noradrenergic tonic facilitation within the spinal cord participates in the depressant action of the group II flexor reflex produced by tolperisone-HCl, tizanidine-HCl, chlorpromazine-HCl and baclofen.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Synthetic sentence identification (SSI) and contralateral acoustic stapedius reflex].

BACKGROUND: The study of the relationship of the contralateral acoustic reflex with the auditory skill of closure. AIM: To analyze the identification of a speech signal in the presence of competitive sounds in subjects with absence of contralateral acoustic reflex. METHOD: Application of the synthetic sentence identification (SSI) test under the conditions of competitive contralateral message (SSI-CCM), with the signal-to-noise ratio of 0 and -40dB, and ipsilateral competitive message (SSI-ICM), with the signal-to-noise ratio of 0, -10, -15 and -20dB, in 43 young adults (group A = 21 subjects with contralateral acoustic reflex present in all of the investigated frequencies, and group B = 22 subjects with contralateral reflex absent at the frequency of 500Hz, or in all of the investigated frequencies, or still in some of the investigated frequencies necessarily including 500Hz), of both gender, with no hearing, otologic or learning disabilities. RESULTS: The acoustic reflex threshold was above 100dB NA in 59% of the individuals in group B and in 14% of the individuals in group A. All subjects performed according to the normal pattern suggested in the specialized literature for the SSI test. The performance of group B in the SSI-ICM test was inferior to that of group A for all the signal-to-noise ratios used, although the difference was not statistically significant. Group B, which presented an acoustic reflex threshold higher than 100dB NA or the absence of the acoustic reflex, was also the group that presented the worse performance in the SSI test. CONCLUSION: The absence of the contralateral acoustic reflex seems to interfere in the identification of the speech signal in the presence of competitive noises.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMed1995

Sympathetic efferent activity in the viscerovascular reflexes induced by urinary bladder distension.

In chloralose-anesthetized cats, rapid distension of the urinary bladder with warm (37 degrees C) normal saline (50-60 ml) causes an increase in blood pressure and contraction of the spleen. This response is due to peripheral vasoconstriction. In this experiment, the evidence of direct involvement of the spleen, as well as splenic and splanchnic sympathetic efferent activity on the viscerovascular reflexes, was investigated by pharmacological and electrophysiological (single unit preparation) means and analysis. The viscerovascular reflexes induced by urinary bladder distension remained unaffected by propranolol, but phentolamine, guanethidine sulfate, and hexamethonium completely antagonized the reflex vasopressor response. All these results with these blocking agents show that sympathetic nerves are actively involved in the reflex responses to distension of the urinary bladder with activation at the postganglionic level involving alpha-adrenoceptors and thereby the release of catecholamines. It is thus evident that the same mechanisms operate in the case of reflex elevation of blood pressure and contraction of the spleen. After bilateral denervation of the splanchnic sympathetic nerves, bladder distension failed to produce a reflex response. The efferent activity from the splanchnic and splenic sympathetic nerves in producing a reflex rise in blood pressure was recorded for direct evidence. The significant increase of asynchronous spontaneous discharge rate in the splanchnic and splenic sympathetic nerves was found along with a rise in blood pressure during bladder distension. On the basis of this study, it may be suggested that the spleen as well as splenic and splanchnic sympathetic nerves play an important role in the control of viscerovascular reflexes.

Animals↗