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Remote electrodermic response to an algogenic stimulus. Pathway and spinal integration
1Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
Revista Espanola De Fisiologia
|December 1, 1987
Summary
This study reveals the neural pathway for a non-segmental sudomotor reflex in rabbits. Thermal foot stimulation triggers a sweat response in the ear, detailing the reflex
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Non-segmental sudomotor reflexes are not well understood.
- The podo-auricular reflex, linking foot stimulation to ear sweating, presents a unique model for study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the afferent and efferent neural pathways of the non-segmental sudomotor reflex in rabbits.
- To determine the spinal cord segments involved in the podo-auricular sudomotor reflex.
Main Methods:
- Thermic stimulation of the rabbit foot (45°C for 30s) to evoke a sudoral response in the ear.
- Sequential nerve sections and spinal cord transections at various levels (L4, T6, C6) to map reflex pathways.
Main Results:
- Identified afferent pathways: lateral plantar nerve, tibial nerve, saphenous and femoral perivascular networks, and femoral nerve.
- Demonstrated that the reflex pathway enters the spinal cord above L4 and is ipsilateral, with efferent fibers exiting below C6.
- Confirmed that sudomotor impulses travel with auricular vessels to reach pinna sweat glands.
Conclusions:
- The podo-auricular sudomotor reflex involves a complex, non-segmental pathway.
- The study precisely maps the central and peripheral neural circuitry governing this reflex in rabbits.