Circulatory effects of interruption and stimulation of cardiac vagal afferents.

Abstract

AbstractThe influence of the rhythmic activity in cardiac vagal afferents on the circulation was analyzed in chloralose‐anesthetized cats by observing the cardiovascular responses to sudden interruption of this activity and to afferent stimulation of the cardiac nerves. The evoked responses were compared with those produced by “unloading” and stimulation of arterial baroreceptors. — Elimination of the impulse traffic in vagal afferents produced a blood pressure rise, a tachycardia and vasoconstrictions in skeletal muscle, intestine and kidney, indicating a tonic restraint of these afferents on the medullary vasomotor centre. The responses were generally moderate in the presence of normally functioning arterial baroreceptors but were pronounced after elimination of “buffering” influences from these receptors. — Comparisons of the inhibitory influences from vagal cardiac afferents and baroreceptor afferents, respectively, on the vasomotor centre indicated that the former were preferentially directed to neurons controlling the efferent discharge to the heart and the renal vessels. There was no evidence for a particularly strong engagement of the capacitance vessels in reflex patterns mediated through cardiac afferents. — Low frequency afferent stimulation of the cardiac nerves generally induced a profound brady‐cardia, which was probably due to stimulation of fibres not normally tonically active.