AP and Neurology
AP AND THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS)
Hardy_SGP (1995) Medullary Projections to the Vagus Nerve and Posterolateral Hypothalamus. Anat Rec Jun 242(2):251-258. SGP Hardy, Univ Mississippi, Med Ctr, Dept Phys Therapy, Jackson, MS 39216 USA. Retrogradely transported tracers were injected into the cervical vagus nerve and/or the posterolateral hypothalamus to map the relative locations of medullovagal and medullohypothalamic neurons. Retrogradely labelled medullary neurons were plotted subsequently. Labelling of the 2 neuronal populations was observed mainly in the ventrolateral and dorsomedial medulla. In the ventrolateral medulla, medullovagal neurons were found in the retrofacial nucleus and nucleus retroambiguus, whereas medullo-hypothalamic neurons were found subjacent to these nuclei. In the dorsomedial medulla, labelling of the 2 neuronal populations was limited mainly to the vagal-solitary complex. Here, medullovagal neurons were found within the dorsal vagal nucleus, whereas medullohypothalamic neurons were confined mainly to the caudal part of the solitary nucleus. Conclusions: Vagal visceromotor reflexes depend on reciprocal neural connections between the medulla and the hypothalamus. Medullovagal and medullohypothalamic neurons lie close together. Functional interrelationships may exist between these 2 neuronal populations. Specifically, the medullohypothalamic neurons identified may support vagal-related functions by providing feedback cues regarding vagal motor neuron activity to the posterolateral hypothalamus.
Liu_Z9; Sun F; Li J; Wang Y; Hu K (1993) Effect of AP on weight loss evaluated by adrenal function. Chung i tsa chih (JTCM) Sep 13(3):169-173. Nanjing Coll of TCM. Indices of obesity, lipid, fasting blood-glucose, noradrenaline, dopamine, adrenalin and cortisol were noted in a study of the relationship between adrenal function and simple obesity and effect of AP on it. Patients with simple obesity had hypofunction of sympathetic-adrenal and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal systems. AP treatment not only increased weight loss but also enhanced the function of the two systems. AP enhanced weight-loss in obesity, probably by enhancing the functions of both the sympathetic-adrenal- and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal systems.
Sato_A3; Sato Y; Suzuki A; Uchida S (1993) Neural mechanisms of reflex inhibition and excitation of gastric motility elicited by AP-like stimulation in anaesthetized rats. Neurosci Res Oct 18(1):53-62. Dept of ANS, Tokyo Metropolitan Inst of Gerontology, Japan. The effects of AP-like stimulation of the various segmental areas on gastric (ST) motility were examined in anaesthetized rats. An AP needle (diameter 340 um) was inserted into the skin and underlying muscles at a depth of 4-5 mm and was twisted right and left once/s for 60 s. Gastric motility in the pyloric region was measured with the balloon method. Gastric motility was inhibited by AP-like stimulation applied to the abdomen and lower chest region, and was often excited when the limbs were stimulated, in all cases in which stimuli were delivered to the skin and muscles, the skin alone, and the underlying muscles alone. The inhibitory gastric response to abdominal stimulation was accompanied by an increase in the activity of the gastric sympathetic efferent nerve and was abolished by severance of either the sympathetic nerve branches to the stomach or the lower thoracic spinal nerves. The abdominal stimulation enhanced the activity of the lower thoracic spinal afferent nerves. The excitatory gastric response to hindpaw stimulation was accompanied by an increase in the activity of the gastric vagal efferent nerve and was abolished by severance of either the bilateral vagi or the femoral and sciatic nerves. The hindpaw stimulation enhanced the activity of the femoral and sciatic afferent nerves. In the spinalized animals, the inhibitory gastric response elicited by abdominal stimulation was present, and the hindpaw stimulation did not produce any gastric response. We conclude that the inhibitory gastric response elicited by AP-like stimulation of the abdomen is a reflex response. Its afferent nerve pathway is composed of abdominal cutaneous and muscle afferent nerves, the efferent nerve pathway is the gastric sympathetic nerve, and its reflex centre is within the spinal cord. The excitatory gastric response elicited by AP-like stimulation of a hindpaw is also a reflex response. Its afferent nerve pathway is composed of hindpaw cutaneous and muscle afferent nerves, the efferent nerve pathway is the gastric vagal efferent nerve, and its reflex centre requires the presence of the brain. Also, naloxone iv (0.4-4 mg/kg) did not influence the excitatory on inhibitory gastric reflex responses. Endogenous opioids may not be involved in these reflexes.
Shiraishi_T; Onoe M; Kojima T; Sameshima Y; Kageyama T (1995) Effects of Ear-stimulation on feeding-related hypothalamic neuronal activity in normal and obese rats. Brain Res Bull 36(2):141-148. Dept of Neurophysiology, Tokai Univ Sch of Med, Kanagawa, Japan. Ear-therapy occasionally affects dramatic body weight reduction for obese patients, although the physiological and anorexigenic functions are not clear. Effects of Ear-stimulation on feeding-related lateral (LHA) and ventromedial (VMH) hypothalamic neuronal activity in normal and experimental (hypothalamic and dietary) obese rats were studied. The LHA and/or VMH neuronal activity were recorded from feeding-related regions in Wistar SPF/VAF male and experimental (hypothalamic and dietary) obese rats, anaesthetized with urethane-chloralose, under stereotaxic coordination. Recording was through 3 M KCI glass microelectrodes, while stimulating the ipsilateral vagal innervated region of the Ear. This is equivalent to the cavum conchae in the human, and was identified by resistance <10-50 k omega. The stimulating electrode was a stainless steel ear AP needle (0.12 x 2.0 mm). The latency of potentials evoked in the LHA by unilateral stimulation of a specific site in the ear was 28.1+3.3 ms (8-92, n=41). LHA neuronal activity was depressed 46% (n=12).
Uvnas_Moberg K; Lundeberg T; Bruzelius G; Alster P (1992) Vagally mediated release of gastrin and CCK after sensory stimulation. Acta Physiol Scand Nov 146(3):349-356. Dept of Pharmacology, Karolinska Inst, Stockholm, Sweden. Our aim was to study if gastrin, CCK and somatostatin secretion can be influenced by sensory stimulation and if so, whether such effects are mediated via the vagus. Male rats anaesthetized with chloral hydrate were exposed to 3 different stimuli (a) low frequency (2 Hz) EAP to muscles via needles; (b) thermal stimulation at 40oC or (c) vibration at 100 Hz. The two former stimuli activate mainly small and medium sized myelinated fibres from muscles and skin respectively, whereas vibration activates large myelinated fibres from skin, sc tissue and muscles. Experiments were also done on animals that were vagotomized or exposed to prior treatment with atropine (0.5 mg/kg). Blood was collected at various time intervals and plasma levels of gastrin, CCK and somatostatin were measured with RIA. All 3 stimuli, e.g. EAP, vibration and thermal stimulation caused significant elevations of gastrin (103+11-151+16 pM, 105+8-140+12 pM and 105+14-162+4 pM) and CCK (9+0.8-15+2.8 pM, 8+0.5-10+1.5 pM and 8.0+0.5-10.5+1.5). EAP increased somatostatin (10+1-14+3 pM). EAP-activation of sensory afferent nerves, in the skin, sc tissue, and muscle, stimulated the release of gastrin and CCK. Atropinization and vagotomy abolished the release of gastrin and CCK in response to all 3 stimuli. CCK levels were significantly reduced after EAP in atropinized rats.