vagus nerve; nociception; thermoregulation; electron microscopy; brainstem
Abstract :
[en] This study compared the physiological and morphological effects of vagus nerve transection to the chemical destruction of its central projections.
Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy disturbed nociception and body temperature regulation during endotoxemia. Micro-injections of glutamate or vanilloid receptor agonists in toxic concentrations into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) and the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM) lead to the similar effect. Both types of intervention – vagotomy, and central microinjections – were followed by structural alterations in NTS and CVLM, which was visualized by the electron microscopy.
The results suggest involvement of NTS and CVLM neurons in the regulation of nociceptive threshold during the acute phase reaction to endotoxins.
