Heart rate and blood pressure responses to electrical stimulation of the central nervous system in the pigeon (Columba livia)

1973 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. MacDonald ◽  
David H. Cohen
1945 ◽  
Vol 22 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 63-74
Author(s):  
JOSEPH BARCROFT ◽  
D. H. BARRON

1. A method (the needle method) is described for the measurement of the pressure in the stream going through a vessel. 2. In the foetal sheep the needle method applied to the umbilical artery gives substantially the same results as the mercurial manometer applied to the carotid, until about half-way through the gestation period. 3. As gestation proceeds the needle method applied at the first moment at which it can be applied to the umbilical artery (or a branch) gives readings substantially lower, and increasingly lower as gestation proceeds, than does the mercurial manometer read at the first moment at which it can be read. 4. The discrepancy is due to the sum of a number of causes which are discussed, but of these the most important is an actual rise of pressure between the time of delivery and the completion of the dissections contingent on the use of the mercurial manometer. 5. The cause of this is not at present demonstrated, but either or both of two factors may be concerned: (a) a dulling of the central nervous system which weakens the depressor reflex; (b) the establishment of a greater degree of vasomotor tone consequent on the bombardment of the central nervous system with sensory stimuli. 6. The pulse rates in utero and just after delivery of the foetus into a saline bath at 39-40°C. (the umbilical circulation being unimpaired) are not significantly different. 7. The pulse rate quickens up to the 70th-80th day, after which it becomes slower as gestation proceeds. 8. If both vagi be severed, the pulse rate te to quicken throughout gestation. The pulse, therefore, comes increasingly under vagus inhibition from the 80th-90th day onwards. 9. Even after the vagi have been cut after the 120th day (it has not been tried before) adrenalin in sufficient quantity will cause a further quickening of the pulse. 10. The earliest date at which stimulation of the peripheral end of the right vagus was observed to slow the heart was the 77th day. On the 85th day peripheral stimulation of the left vagus also failed, but succeeded on the 101st day. 11. Central stimulation of the left vagus, with the right vagus intact, produced slowing on the 77th day. 12. Slowing of the heart synchronous with rise of arterial pressure has been observed on the 111th day. 13. Slowing of the heart which bears evidence of being reflex has been obtained by raising the blood pressure (clamping the cord) on the 121st day and by injection of adrenalin on the 118th day. 14. Approaching term both the carotid sinus and cardiac depressor mechanisms are functional. 15. Lowering of the blood pressure as the result of stimulation of the central end of the vagus and with both vagi severed can be demonstrated late in gestation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 328 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alim-Louis Benabid ◽  
Bradley Wallace ◽  
John Mitrofanis ◽  
Celine Xia ◽  
Brigitte Piallat ◽  
...  

1958 ◽  
Vol 194 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold C. Nielson ◽  
Robert W. Doty ◽  
Lester T. Rutledge

Reports of others that animals will seek electrical stimulation of certain regions of the central nervous system are confirmed. A method is presented whereby these ‘motivational’ aspects of central stimulation can be analyzed and shown to be capable of change by training and to have a different threshold from the animal's ‘perception’ of this stimulation. Cats were trained to press a bar to receive pellets of meat. When each bar-press was accompanied by stimulation through electrodes implanted in the caudate nucleus or anterior hypothalamus, the animals continued pressing. If the press was paired with stimulation of the septal or habenular regions, pressing was abolished. Foot-shock paired with pressing also produced avoidance but pairing with a startling buzzer did not. Caudatal stimulation of 0.2 ma, 50/sec., 2-msec. pulses, was adequate as conditional stimulus to establish conditioned foreleg flexions to avoid an electric shock. Subsequent to the latter training two animals would no longer press the bar if pressing resulted in caudatal stimulation. Other cats would press as often as 1000 times in a 20-minute period to obtain caudatal stimulation if it were allowed at rapid rates and intensities five times that required to evoke conditioned flexion reflexes. The evidence suggests that avidity develops for stimulation of certain neural structures only if the stimulus is adequate to initiate some form of excessive, seizure-like activity.


1946 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. LISSMANN

Some of the more striking effects of de-afferentation in the spinal dogfish are diagrammatically represented in Fig. 13. 1. The persistent locomotory rhythm of a spinal dogfish depends upon afferent excitation. If all afferent excitation is cut off by severance of all dorsal roots, the rhythm is abolished (Fig. 13, 1). 2. The rhythm clearly emerges when about half the number of all the dorsal roots is transected, irrespective whether the anterior or the posterior half of the animal be de-afferentated (Fig. 13, 2 and 3), or whether complete unilateral de-afferentation is executed (Fig. 13, 4). 3. Extensively de-afferentated preparations may exhibit swimming movements after exteroceptive stimulation. These swimming movements do not persist. 4. Preparations de-afferentated except for the tail exhibit after exteroceptive stimulation a static reflex posture. 5. The de-afferentated musculature takes part in both tonic and rhythmic responses as long as it is connected through the spinal cord with normally innervated musculature. 6. In response to electrical stimulation applied to the cord of a spinal dogfish two distinct types of rhythmic response have been evoked. 7. No rhythmic responses have bee obtained through electrical stimulation of the spinal cord in completely de-afferentated preparations. 8. No evidence has been found in support of the view that the swimming rhythm emanates through a spontaneous, automatic activity from the central nervous system.


1996 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 1111-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas N. Pajewski ◽  
Cosmo A. DiFazio ◽  
Jeffrey C. Moscicki ◽  
Roger A. Johns

Background Nitric oxide (NO), a recognized cell messenger for activating soluble guanylate cyclase, is produced by the enzyme NO synthase in a wide variety of tissues, including vascular endothelium and the central nervous system. The authors previously reported the possible involvement of the NO pathway in the anesthetic state by showing that a specific NO synthase inhibitor, nitroG-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), dose dependently and reversibly decreases the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) for halothane anesthesia. The availability of a structurally distinct inhibitor selective for the neuronal isoform of NO synthase, 7-nitro indazole (7-NI), allowed for the possibility of dissociating the central nervous system effects of neuronal NO synthase inhibition from the cardiovascular effects of endothelial NO synthase inhibition. Methods The effect of two structurally distinct inhibitors of NO synthase, L-NAME and 7-NI, on the MAC of isoflurane was investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats while concurrently monitoring the animals' arterial blood pressure and heart rate. L-NAME (1 to 30 mg/kg given intravenously, dissolved in 0.9% saline) and 7-NI (20 to 1,000 mg/kg given intraperitoneally, dissolved in arachis oil) were administered after determining control MAC and 30 min before determining MAC in the presence of NO synthase inhibitor. Results L-NAME and 7-NI caused a dose-dependent decrease from isoflurane control MAC (maximal effect: 35.5 +/- 2.5% and 43.0 +/- 1.7%, respectively) with a ceiling effect observed for both NO synthase inhibitors (above 10 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg, respectively). L-NAME administration significantly increased systolic and diastolic blood pressures (maximal effect: 39.9 +/- 2.2% and 64.3 +/- 4.0%, respectively), which were not accompanied by any changes in heart rate. 7-NI administration resulted in no changes in blood pressure and a small but clinically insignificant decrease in heart rate. Conclusions Inhibition of the NO synthase pathway decreased the MAC for isoflurane, which suggests that inhibition of the NO pathway decreases the level of consciousness and augments sedation, analgesia, and anesthesia. The MAC reduction by two structurally distinct NO synthase inhibitors supports that this is a specific effect on NO synthase. Furthermore, the action of the neuronal NO synthase inhibitor 7-NI supports an effect selective for neuronal NO synthase and also avoids the hypertensive response of generalized NO synthase inhibitors.


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