Greater splanchnic excitation of primate T1-T5 spinothalamic neurons

Abstract

Effects of electrical stimulation of the left greater splanchnic nerve (SPL) on T1-T5 spinothalamic (STT) neurons were determined. Eighty-five STT neurons were studied in 36 anesthetized monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). All neurons were excited by manipulation of their somatic receptive fields and by electrical stimulation of cardiopulmonary (CP) sympathetic afferent fibers. SPL stimulation excited 63 (74%) STT neurons. There was an increasing percentage of cells with SPL input at more caudal segments and in deeper laminae. Both SPL and CP sympathetic stimulation elicited early or both early and late responses. Latencies to cell activation were usually shorter for CP sympathetic stimulation than for SPL stimulation (5.4 +/- 0.8 versus 11.3 +/- 2.0 ms for early responses and 44.2 +/- 4.2 versus 111.0 +/- 6.6 ms for late responses). The maximum number of spikes per SPL or CP sympathetic stimulus was determined. In the T2 and T3 segments, early responses to CP sympathetic stimulation were significantly greater. However, at more caudal segments, responses to CP sympathetic input decreased while responses to SPL input increased until at T4 there was no difference in the two responses. In T5, responses to SPL input were greater. No differences in the magnitudes of late responses were observed in any of the segments. The response of six cells to SPL stimulation was inhibited by a train of conditioning stimuli applied to the left thoracic vagus nerve. Maximum inhibition occurred at a CT interval of 50 ms and test responses were significantly reduced at CT intervals as great as 200 ms. Bilateral vagotomy eliminated the inhibitory effect. Cutting the left sympathetic chain between the T5 and T6 rami communicantes eliminated 27% of the response to SPL stimulation. More caudal cuts reduced the response further until 71% of the response was abolished by a cut between T8 and T9. Lesions in the dorsolateral column of the spinal cord had little effect on the responses, while lesions of the lateral and ventrolateral columns reduced or abolished the responses. We conclude that SPL stimulation excites T1-T5 STT neurons by way of extraspinal and intraspinal pathways. SPL information is integrated with information from a variety of other visceral and somatic sources. SPL input to cells with somatic fields in the chest region may explain the clinical phenomenon of chest pain associated with abdominal disorders.