Aortic nerve stimulation in the rat: Cardiovascular and respiratory responses1

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0361-9230(81)80009-3Get rights and content

Cardiovascular response and changes in the phrenic and recurrent laryngeal nerve activities to the electrical stimulation of the aortic nerves were studied in the decerebrate male Wistar rats. Stimulus parameters were varied over a wide range (intensities 0.1–10 volts, frequencies 2–150 pulses per sec, durations 0.01–10 msec) and stimulation was continued for I min to ensure that steady state was reached. Stimulation of the aortic nerves consistently produced decreases in blood pressure and heart rate (baroceptor responses) while increase in blood pressure and heart rate (chemoreceptor responses) were never obtained. Inhibition of phrenic and recurrent laryngeal nerve activities (baroceptor responses) always followed stimulation of aortic nerves while facilitation of these nerve activities (chemoreceptor responses) was never observed. These results indicate that the aortic nerves of the rat contain mainly baroceptor afferent fibers and there are few, if any, functional chemoreceptor fibers in these nerves.

References (30)

  • SapruH.N. et al.

    Procedure for the decerebration of the rat

    Brain Res. Bull.

    (1978)
  • SapruH.N. et al.

    Cardiovascular and respiratory effects of some anesthetics in the decerebrate rat

    Eur. J. Pharmac.

    (1979)
  • BarkerS.J. et al.

    Peripheral arterial chemoreceptors in the rat: paucity of thoracic glomus tissue

    J. Physiol., Lond.

    (1980)
  • BiscoeT.J. et al.

    An anslysis of the inhibition of phrenic motoneurons which occurs on stimulation of some cranial nerve afferents

    J. Physiol. Lond.

    (1979)
  • ChalmersJ.P. et al.

    The relative roles of the aortic and carotid sinus nerves in the rabbit in the control of respiration and circulation during arterial hypoxia and hypercapnia

    J. Physiol., Lond.

    (1967)
  • CohenM.I.

    Neurogenesis of respiratory rhythm in the mammal

    Physiol. Rev.

    (1979)
  • ColeridgeJ.C.G. et al.

    Chemoreflex regulation of the heart

  • ColeridgeH.M. et al.

    A search for pulmonary arterial chemoreceptors in the cat, with a comparison of the blood supply of the aortic bodies in the new-born and the adult animal

    J. Physiol. Lond.

    (1967)
  • ColeridgeH.M. et al.

    Thoracic chemoreceptors in the dog: a histological and electrophysiological study of the location, innervation and blood supply of the aortic bodies

    Circulation Res.

    (1970)
  • ComroeJ.H.

    The peripheral chemoreceptors

  • CroxtonR.E.

    Elementary Statistics with Applications in Medicine and Biological Sciences

  • DalyM. et al.

    Reflex respiratory and peripheral vascular responses to stimulation of the isolated perfused aortic arch chemoreceptors of the dog

    J. Physiol., Lond.

    (1965)
  • DalyM. et al.

    Comparison of the reflex responses elicited by stimulation of separately perfused carotid and aortic body chemoreceptors in the dog

    J. Physiol., Lond.

    (1966)
  • DiamondJ. et al.

    Chemoreceptor activity in the aortic bodies of the cat

    J. Physiol., Lond.

    (1956)
  • DouglasW.W. et al.

    Cardiovascular reflexes produced by electrical excitation of non-medullated afferents in the vagus, carotid sinus and aortic nerves

    J. Physiol., Lond.

    (1956)
  • Cited by (0)

    1

    Supported by grants from N.I.H. (HL 24347) and V.A. Medical Center, East Orange, NJ 07019. Send reprint requests to Dr. H. Sapru, Room H-592, Neurosurgery, CMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103.

    View full text