Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Afferent new fiber activity responding to temperature changes of scrotal skin of the rat

Afferent new fiber activity responding to temperature changes of scrotal skin of the rat Abstract The discharge patterns of single afferent fibers from rat pudendal nerve were studied as a function in temperature of the scrotal skin, an area known to function in temperature regulation. In a number of respects the population of temperature-sensitive afferents here differ from most previously described; 75% of temperature-sensitive afferents were also sensitive to mechanical stimulation. Of the 25% nonmechanosensitive units, half showed dynamic and static responses to cooling, while most of the remaining fibers gave only static discharges to warming. The most frequent thermal reaction of the mechanosensitive units was a dynamic-static cold response or a pure static warm response. However, fibers were also present with only dynamic or only static cold responses. Of the bimodal units, 20% had a dynamic cold response, but showed a minimal static discharge at intermediate temperatures (about 35 degrees C) and an increased discharge on both warming and cooling from that temperature. One unit had static and dynamic warm responses. Whereas a bursting discharge in the cold has previously been considered to be a distinguishing characteristic of specific cold receptors, in the pudendal afferents a bursting discharge on cooling or at low temperatures is common both in mechanosensitive and specific cold fibers. This observation and the identical discharge patterns and mechanisms underlying the thermosensitivity argue for the view that the mechanosensitive afferents participate in thermal sensation and/or regulation along with the specific temperature receptors. Hellon and Misra (7) have concluded that there is processing of thermal information from the scrotal skin at the level of the first synapse in the cord. However, in this study, we have found peripheral afferents which have most of the discharge properties that led Hellon and Misra to conclude that processing had occurred. The unusual characteristics of thermosensitive afferents of the pudendal nerve suggest that there is probably organ specificity of neuronal discharge properties. Copyright © 1975 the American Physiological Society http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Neurophysiology The American Physiological Society

Afferent new fiber activity responding to temperature changes of scrotal skin of the rat

Journal of Neurophysiology , Volume 38 (3): 601 – May 1, 1975

Loading next page...
 
/lp/the-american-physiological-society/afferent-new-fiber-activity-responding-to-temperature-changes-of-0C9vT07r8U

References

References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.

Publisher
The American Physiological Society
Copyright
Copyright © 1975 the American Physiological Society
ISSN
0022-3077
eISSN
1522-1598
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Abstract The discharge patterns of single afferent fibers from rat pudendal nerve were studied as a function in temperature of the scrotal skin, an area known to function in temperature regulation. In a number of respects the population of temperature-sensitive afferents here differ from most previously described; 75% of temperature-sensitive afferents were also sensitive to mechanical stimulation. Of the 25% nonmechanosensitive units, half showed dynamic and static responses to cooling, while most of the remaining fibers gave only static discharges to warming. The most frequent thermal reaction of the mechanosensitive units was a dynamic-static cold response or a pure static warm response. However, fibers were also present with only dynamic or only static cold responses. Of the bimodal units, 20% had a dynamic cold response, but showed a minimal static discharge at intermediate temperatures (about 35 degrees C) and an increased discharge on both warming and cooling from that temperature. One unit had static and dynamic warm responses. Whereas a bursting discharge in the cold has previously been considered to be a distinguishing characteristic of specific cold receptors, in the pudendal afferents a bursting discharge on cooling or at low temperatures is common both in mechanosensitive and specific cold fibers. This observation and the identical discharge patterns and mechanisms underlying the thermosensitivity argue for the view that the mechanosensitive afferents participate in thermal sensation and/or regulation along with the specific temperature receptors. Hellon and Misra (7) have concluded that there is processing of thermal information from the scrotal skin at the level of the first synapse in the cord. However, in this study, we have found peripheral afferents which have most of the discharge properties that led Hellon and Misra to conclude that processing had occurred. The unusual characteristics of thermosensitive afferents of the pudendal nerve suggest that there is probably organ specificity of neuronal discharge properties. Copyright © 1975 the American Physiological Society

Journal

Journal of NeurophysiologyThe American Physiological Society

Published: May 1, 1975

There are no references for this article.