Cortically evoked responses of superior salivary nucleus neurons in the cat

Salivation can be controlled by the inputs from the cerebral cortex as well as from the sensory nerves. However, there has been no detailed report so far on the inputs to superior salivatory nucleus (SSN) neurons from the cerebral cortex. The responses of SSN neurons to electrical stimulation of orbital and coronal gyri were investigated in ketamine anesthetized cats. A total of 56 SSN neurons were identified by the antidromic spike responses to stimulation of the right chorda tympani nerve. Their responsiveness to stimulation of the orbital and anterior coronal gyri and the lingual nerve at the ipsilateral side was tested. Thirty-five neurons (63%) responded with spikes to stimulation of the orbital and/or coronal gyri. They were also activated by stimulation of the lingual nerve. Other eleven neurons (20%) received the inputs from the lingual nerve only. The remaining 10 neurons (17%) failed to respond to stimulation of either the cerebral cortex or the lingual nerve. The mean latencies of the responses to stimulation of the orbital gyrus, coronal gyrus and lingual nerve were 29.0 ms (n = 28), 22.7 ms (n = 33) and 10.2 ms (n = 46), respectively. In this study, the excitatory inputs converging from the cerebral cortex and the lingual nerve, found in 63% of SSN neurons, could play an important role in submandibular and sublingual salivation. Cortically induced salivation, in particular, may be involved in salivary secretion in the conditioned reflexes as well as in mastication.