Convergence of multiple pelvic organ inputs in the rat rostral medulla

Electrophysiological recordings were used to investigate the degree of pelvic/visceral convergent inputs onto single medullary reticular formation (MRF) neurons. A total of 94 MRF neurons responsive to bilateral electrical stimulation of the pelvic nerve (PN) in 12 urethane-anaesthetized male rats w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of physiology 2006-04, Vol.572 (2), p.393-405
Main Authors: Kaddumi, Ezidin G., Hubscher, Charles H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Action Potentials - physiology
Animals
Brain Stem - anatomy & histology
Brain Stem - physiology
Colon - innervation
Colon - physiology
Electric Stimulation
Electrophysiology
Intralaminar Thalamic Nuclei - anatomy & histology
Intralaminar Thalamic Nuclei - physiology
Male
Neurons - physiology
Neuroscience
Pelvis - innervation
Pelvis - physiology
Penis - innervation
Penis - physiology
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Urethra - innervation
Urethra - physiology
Urinary Bladder - innervation
Urinary Bladder - physiology
Vagus Nerve - physiology
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Summary:Electrophysiological recordings were used to investigate the degree of pelvic/visceral convergent inputs onto single medullary reticular formation (MRF) neurons. A total of 94 MRF neurons responsive to bilateral electrical stimulation of the pelvic nerve (PN) in 12 urethane-anaesthetized male rats were tested for responses to mechanical stimulation of the urinary bladder, urethra, colon and penis, and electrical stimulation of the dorsal nerve of the penis (DNP) and abdominal branches of the vagus. Responses to distension of the bladder were found for 51% ( n = 48) of the MRF neurons tested. Of these 48, 71% responded to urethral infusion, 81% responded to colon distension, 100% responded to penile stimulation (and DNP), and 85% responded to vagal stimulation, with 62% responding to stimulation of all four of these territories. This high degree of visceral convergence (i.e. 62%) in a subset of PN-responsive MRF neurons is significantly greater than for the subset of PN-responsive MRF neurons that did not respond to urinary bladder distension (i.e. out of the 46 remaining neurons, none responded to all four of the other pelvic/visceral stimuli combined). These results suggest that the neurons processing information from the urinary bladder at this level of the neural axis are likely to be important for mediating interactions between different visceral organs for the coordination of multiple pelvic/visceral functions.
ISSN:0022-3751
1469-7793
DOI:10.1113/jphysiol.2005.102574