Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1999, 188 (2)

Escape of Parasympathetic Vasodilatation from Sympathetic Attenuation in Oro-Facial Areas in the Cat

MAMORU MURAKAMI, HISASHI DATE, KEISHIRO KARITA1 and HIROSHI IZUMI1

Department of Anesthesiology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8574, and 1Department of Orofacial Functions, Tohoku University School of Dentistry, Sendai 980-8575

  • We examined the effects of concurrent repetitive stimulation of the cervical sympathetic trunk (CST) on the parasympathetically mediated reflex blood flow increase in the orofacial area of cats. In urethane plus a-chloralose anaesthetized cats, parasympathetic reflex vasodilatation in the ipsilateral lower lip was elicited by electrical stimulation of the central cut end of the lingual nerve (LN). This blood flow increase was attenuated in a frequency-dependent manner when CST was stimulated concurrently at 0.5-10 Hz for 10 minutes. When we applied repeated LN stimulation (using identical parameters, each time) at intervals during a 30-minutes period of 10 Hz CST stimulation, the attenuation of the blood flow increase gradually weakened in a time-dependent manner even though the direct vasoconstrictor effect of CST stimulation showed no such decline.
    Key words--- parasympathetic reflex vasodilatation; sympathetic-attenuation; orofacial; cat
    © 1999 Tohoku University Medical Press

    Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1999, 188, 153-160
    Address for reprints: Hiroshi Izumi, Ph.D., Department of Orofacial Functions, Tohoku University School of Dentistry, 4-1 Seiryomachi, Aobaku, Sendai 980-8575, Japan.

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