REFLEX MODULATION OF GASTRIC AND VESICAL FUNCTION BY ACUPUNCTURE-LIKE STIMULATION IN ANESTHETIZED RATS

We briefly review recent studies concerning the neural mechanisms of the reflex effects of acupuncture-like stimulation on gastric and vesical function in anesthetized rats. In anesthetized rats, acupuncture-like stimulation of the abdominal area inhibits the gastric tone and motility, while limb stimulation excites them. Stimulation of the perineal area can inhibit the rhythmic micturition contractions of the urinary bladder. Each of these responses is a reflex response. The afferent pathway consists of cutaneous and muscle afferent nerves, and the efferent pathway consists of the autonomic efferent nerves; the reflex center requires the presence of the central nervous system. Some of these reflexes are characterized by segmental organization, and others by non-segmental organization. The finding that gastric reflex responses are not naloxone reversible suggests that the neural mechanism underlying the autonomic reflex induced by acupuncture-like stimulation differs from that of acupuncture analgesia.