Frequency characteristics of sympathetic nerve discharge in anesthetized rats

Frequency-domain analyses were used to characterize basal sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) and to determine the relationships between the activity recorded simultaneously from sympathetic nerves in chloralose-anesthetized, baroreceptor-innervated rats. Discharges were recorded from the splanchnic, renal, and lumbar nerves. The following observations were made. 1) Approximately 65-75% of total power in SND was contained below 9 Hz in either baroreceptor-innervated rats or baroreceptor-denervated rats. 2) Coherence values relating the activity of two nerves were significantly different from zero within this frequency band. 3) The interval between the discharges of two sympathetic nerves was either frequency dependent or constant within the coherent frequency band. 4) The frequency components of SND and the relationships between the activity in two sympathetic nerves could be altered during periods of acute stress. These results suggest that the system responsible for basal SND in rats is composed of either multiple sympathetic generators or multiple filters arranged in parallel, which are capable of producing different outputs. The dynamic nature of these circuits was revealed by the changes that occurred during periods of acute stress.