Antidromic search stimuli were delivered to cervical (C2-C3) dorsal and dorsolateral funiculi that were dissected apart from one another and from the rest of the spinal cord. Fifty-six neurons were antidromically identified in the dorsal horn of the lumbosacral enlargement. Of these neurons, 23 were activated antidromically from both the dorsal columns and the ipsilateral dorsolateral funiculus. The neurons were found at depths corresponding to laminae III and IV. About half of the neurons responded only to innocuous, tactile stimuli whereas the other half responded to both innocuous and noxious stimuli. The existence of neurons with branched axons ascending both the dorsal and dorsolateral funiculi raises the possibility that the dorsal column postsynaptic and spinocervical tracts may not be completely independent projections.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

[Kinetic aspects of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of 3H-gastrodin in rats].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Absorption↗

PubMed1984

The morphology of dorsal column postsynaptic spinomedullary neurons in the cat.

Dorsal column postsynaptic ( DCPS ) spinomedullary neurons from the cat's lumbosacral enlargement were identified by antidromic stimulation of the cervical dorsal columns and stained intracellularly with horseradish peroxidase. The cell bodies were located in laminae III-IV. Their dendritic arbors were elongated rostrocaudally but narrow mediolaterally. On the average, the arbors were X 5 longer than they were wide. Most of the neurons had nearly all of their dendrites in laminae III-IV and some of the neurons had, in addition, a considerable amount of dendritic surface area in lamina V. Only one neuron had more than a very small amount of dendritic surface area dorsal to lamina III. Seven of the neurons had unmyelinated axon collaterals that arborized extensively and issued varicosity-bearing terminal branches in laminae III-V, both within and beneath their dendritic territories. All of the neurons were excited by myelinated, low-threshold mechanoreceptors. Since the rostrocaudally elongated and mediolaterally narrow dendritic arbors of DCPS neurons are in register with the laminae III-IV terminal distributions of myelinated, low-threshold mechanoreceptors, it is probable that this excitation arises from a monosynaptic and topographically discrete innervation. About one-half of the DCPS neurons were also excited by noxious stimuli. It is probable that this excitation is accomplished by a polysynaptic pathway since DCPS dendritic arbors and nociceptor terminal distributions are largely or completely separate.

Afferent Pathways↗

PubMed1983

Extra- and intracellular recordings from dorsal column postsynaptic spinomedullary neurons in the cat.

Dorsal column postsynaptic (DCPS) spinomedullary neurons in the dorsal horn of spinal segments L6-S1 of adult cats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital were identified by antidromic stimulation of cervical dorsal columns that were dissected free of, and electrically isolated from, the rest of the spinal cord. The neurons were categorized with respect to natural stimulation of their cutaneous receptive fields. An equal number of low-threshold mechanoreceptive and wide-dynamic-range neurons were found. No DCPS neurons could be classified as nociceptive-specific. All neurons received input from low-threshold mechanoreceptors with myelinated axons. There was no evidence that any neurons received monosynaptic input from unmyelinated, primary afferent fibers. The average conduction velocity of the antidromic responses was 45.7 m/s. Nearly half of the DCPS cells showed an antidromic spike followed by synaptically driven responses that were probably evoked by antidromic invasion into the intraspinal collaterals of A-beta primary afferent fibers that ascended the dorsal columns. Intracellularly recorded synaptic responses of DCPS neurons to dorsal column and receptive field stimulation usually consisted of an EPSP with overriding spike potentials followed by a prolonged IPSP whose amplitude decreased markedly as the stimulus frequency was increased in the range of 5 to 30 Hz. The results indicate that DCPS neurons constitute a projection system capable of signaling innocuous and tissue-damaging mechanical stimuli. The DCPS projection may play a role in the modulation of touch and pain perception.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Immunocytochemical evidence for a serotoninergic innervation of dorsal column postsynaptic neurons in cat and monkey: light- and electron-microscopic observations.

Dorsal column postsynaptic neurons in the lumbosacral enlargements of cats and a monkey were retrogradely labeled by placing horseradish peroxidase on their severed axons in the thoracic dorsal columns. After visualizing the retrogradely-labeled neurons, the tissue was immunocytochemically stained with an antiserum directed against serotonin. Immunoreactive axonal varicosities contacted the perikarya and proximal dendrites of every retrogradely-labeled neuron examined in cat (mean 61 contacts/cell) and nearly every neuron in the monkey (mean 18 contacts/cell). Electron microscopy showed that the immunoreactive axonal varicosities contained pleomorphic (round to oval) agranular vesicles and formed symmetrical synapses on retrogradely-labeled neurons. It is concluded that dorsal column postsynaptic neurons are innervated directly by the brain stem's descending, serotoninergic system(s).

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Characteristics of afferent fiber innervation on acupuncture points zusanli.

Acupoint zusanli is one of the most effective points in traditional Chinese medicine. Needling point zusanli has a significant suppressive effect on jaw movement response (JMR) and electromyogram of digastric muscle (dEMG) induced by peroneal nerve stimulation. This effect is weakened or abolished by sectioning the peroneal nerve and blocking A-beta- and some A-delta-fibers in the nerve. When the point zusanli is stimulated electrically a larger-than-normal proportion of A-beta-fibers is activated. Local afferent fiber composition at this point contains more myelinated fibers, more large-sized fibers, and more A-beta-fibers than nonacupoints. This predominance of large afferent fibers in the composition and activity of point zusanli is thought to be one of the fundamental characteristics of the point in regard to its structure and function and contributes to its powerful acupuncture effect.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMed1983

The cells of origin of the dorsal column postsynaptic projection in the lumbosacral enlargements of cats and monkeys.

Dorsal column postsynaptic (DCPS) neurons in the lumbosacral enlargements of cats and macaque monkeys were retrogradely labeled by placing HRP on their severed axons within the dorsal columns. The enlargements of both species contained 800-1,100 labeled DCPS neurons. The DCPS projection is thus as large as the feline spinocervical tract. It is very probable that most of these neurons project to the dorsal column nuclei and thereby constitute one of the major sources of somatosensory input to the brain. In the cat, DCPS neurons were concentrated in a band centered in lamina IV that swept down through laminae V-VI along the medial border of the dorsal horn. A second concentration of labeled cells was found in dorsomedial lamina VII. In the monkey, DCPS neurons were concentrated in a relatively broader band in laminae III-IV, and scattered cells were consistently observed throughout laminae V-VII and X and in the dorsolateral white matter. The prominence of the monkey's DCPS projection suggests that humans also have such a projection.

Animals↗

PubMed1983