Abstract
A comparative analysis of changes in the functional state of the oral and caudal trigeminal nuclei after electroacupuncture was undertaken in acute experiments on adult cats anesthetized with hexobarbital (50 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Electroacupuncture was shown to inhibit evoked potentials arising in the caudal nucleus as a result of stimulation of the pulp, but not to change evoked potentials in response to stimulation of the mucosal surface of the lip. Electroacupuncture in the oral nucleus facilitated responses to both types of stimulation. Systemic injection of morphine (5 mg/kg, intravenously) gave similar results. It is suggested that the ventromedial part of the caudal nucleus facilitates the arrival of the diffuse component of the nociceptive signal in the nonspecific projection system, whereas the oral nucleus participates in conduction of information on possible injury to the structures of the oral cavity and realization of the necessary protective reactions.
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Central Research Institute of Reflex Therapy, Main Health Board, Moscow. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 147–152, March–April, 1985.
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Dolgikh, V.G., Durinyan, R.A. & Reshetnyak, V.K. Effect of electroacupunture and morphine on evoked potentials in the oral and caudal trigeminal nuclei of the cat. Neurophysiology 17, 91–95 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01052941
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01052941