Summary
Some of the knowledge now available concerning the spinal autonomic processes in the term of sympathetic and parasympathetic reflex paths have been summarized in this chapter.
The scanty information about the spinal parasympathetic reflex path refers exclusively but not unequivocally to the localization of preganglionic parasympathetic neurons in the sacral spinal cord.—The sympathetic reflex path has been separated into three components: 1. primary visceroafferent fibers, 2. interneurons and 3. efferent, preganglionic sympathetic neurons. 1. The primary visceroafferent fibers appear to terminate in the Vth lamina of the spinal grey matter, ventrally of the main termination area of the cutaneous primary afferent fibers. Histological data suggest the possible termination of visceroafferent fibers in the Clarke’s column in the midthoracic segments. No indication can be found about a direct (monosynaptic) connection between primary sensory fibers and efferent neurons. 2. As the sympathetic reflex activity is travelling along spinal and supraspinal routes, both spinal and supraspinal interneurons have to be considered. According to indirect electrophysiological data the spinal interneurons would be localized in the Vth lamina and in more ventral regions of the spinal grey matter. Thus they may serve as convergence points of impulses arriving from viscera as well as from the skin and from muscles. Neurophysiological observations indicate that the supraspinal interneurons are localized in the medulla. 3. Light microscopic and ultrastructural analysises of the preganglionic sympathetic neurons in the intermedio-lateral nucleus have shown that I. the dendritic tree of the neurons is oriented in craniocaudal direction; II. the axon of the neurons after having left the nucleus turns ventrally and courses along the lateral margin of the ventral horn; III. the presynaptic fibers approach the nucleus at the lateral ircumference and the fibers establish repeated climbing-type contacts with the dendrites and perikarya; IV. three types of axon terminals can be found containing different types of vesicles.—Finally a tentative scheme of the neuronal organization of the sympathetic reflex path is given based upon the results of some preliminary degeneration experiments of the author.
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Réthelyi, M. (1974). Spinal Transmission of Autonomic Processes. In: Csillik, B., Kappers, J.A. (eds) Neurovegetative Transmission Mechanisms. Journal of Neural Transmission, vol 11. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-8341-0_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-8341-0_12
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