Craniofacial inputs to upper cervical dorsal horn: implications for somatosensory information processing

The aim of this study was to characterize the properties of somatosensory neurons in the first 2 cervical spinal dorsal horns (C1 and C2 DHs) and compare them with those previously described for the rostral subnucleus caudalis (rVc). A total of 74 nociceptive neurons classified as wide-dynamic-range (WDR) or nociceptive-specific (NS), as well as 72 low-threshold mechanoreceptive (LTM) neurons, was studied in urethane/chloralose-anesthetized rats. The majority of LTM neurons were located in laminae III/IV and had a small mechanoreceptive field (RF) that included the posterior face and cervical tissues. In contrast, the nociceptive neurons were located in laminae I/II or V/VI, and the RF of each C1 and C2 DH nociceptive neuron included a part of the face and in 47% of them the RF included a region supplied by upper cervical afferents. There was a gradual caudal shift in the neuronal RF from nasal/intraoral tissues towards the neck as recording sites progressed from rVc to C1 and C2 DHs. In contrast to LTM neurons, many C1 and C2 DH nociceptive neurons received mechanosensitive convergent afferent inputs from cervical and craniofacial deep tissues (e.g., tongue muscles or temporomandibular joint), and over 50% could be activated by hypoglossal (XII) nerve electrical stimulation. We propose that C1 and C2 DHs represent part of the caudal extension of the Vc, and that Vc and C1 and C2 DHs may act together as one functional unit to process nociceptive information from craniofacial and cervical tissues, including that from deep craniofacial tissues.