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Neurones in the dorsal horn of the rat responding to scrotal skin temperature changes
Author(s) -
Hellon R. F.,
Misra N. K.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.1973.sp010275
Subject(s) - thermoreceptor , dorsum , french horn , anatomy , skin temperature , spinal cord , chemistry , medicine , biology , biomedical engineering , neuroscience , physics , sensory system , acoustics
1. Micro‐electrode recordings have been made from single neurones in the dorsal horn of male rats anaesthetized with urethane. Scrotal temperature was altered within the range 13–43° C by means of a thermode. The mean firing rate of neurones was correlated with step and ramp changes of temperature. 2. In the region where the scrotal nerve enters the cord, 47% of the neurones were responsive to scrotal temperature: half were excited by warming and half by cooling. Most of these thermally responding units were not affected when the scrotal skin was touched and only one‐fifth responded to both modalities. 3. Both the ‘warm’ and ‘cold’ groups of neurones showed responses to step changes of temperature which were classified as dynamic plus static, dynamic only or static only. Comparison of these responses with those published for the scrotal thermoreceptors showed that the incoming thermal information was being processed in the dorsal horn. 4. Histological examination of the cord showed that recording sites were in laminae I to V of the dorsal horn.