SPINAL AND VAGAL INFLUENCES ON THE RESPONSES OF RAT SOLITARY NUCLEUS NEURONS TO STIMULATION OF UTERUS, CERVIX AND VAGINA

Neurons in the rat solitary nucleus (NTS) respond to mechanical stimulation of the uterine horn, cervix and vagina [7]. The present study examined how these responses were affected by bilateral vagotomy and/or T10-T12 spinal transection for 12 single NTS neurons recorded in 12 rats anesthetized with halothane/nitrous oxide. Spinal transections eliminated all responses. Vagotomies eliminated responses only to uterine horn stimulation and either reduced the excitatory or enhanced the inhibitory responses to cervix and vaginal stimuli. These results suggest that NTS neuronal responses to cervix and vaginal stimulation depend upon input from the spinal dorsal horn and are facilitated by vagal input, whereas responses to uterine horn stimulation may require both spinal and vagal input.