Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1997, 182 (2)

Comparative Effects of Lingual and Facial Nerve Stimulation on Intracranial and Extracranial Vasomotor Responses in Anesthetized Cats

MINORU SATO, HIROSHI IZUMI1, KEISHIRO KARITA1 and NAOFUMI IWATSUKI

Departments of Anesthesiology and 1Physiology, Tohoku University School of Dentistry, Sendai 980-77

  • Electrical stimulation of the central cut end of the lingual nerve (as reflex activation of parasympathetic nerve) or of the peripheral cut end of the facial (VIIth cranial) nerve (as direct activation of parasympathetic nerve) elicited the ipsilateral blood flow increases in lower lip, palate and common carotid artery (CCA) but not in frontal cerebral cortex in a-chloralose-urethane anesthetized, vagosympathectomized cats. No significant difference, in terms of the vasomotor changes examined, was found between lingual nerve and facial nerve stimulation. The results suggest that there is no somato-parasympathetic reflex vasodilator mechanism serving the frontal cerebral cortex, and that changes in CCA blood flow should not be taken to be indicative of blood flow changes in cerebrocortical blood flow. However, we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of a neurogenic vasodilator influence of the facial pathway, since small blood flow increases in the frontal cerebral cortex were sometimes observed on facial nerve stimulation.
    Key words--- parasympathetic reflex vasodilation; cerebrocortical blood flow; common carotid artery; lip blood flow; palate blood flow
    © 1997 Tohoku University Medical Press

    Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 1997, 182, 103-113
    Address for reprints: Dr. Hiroshi Izumi, Department of Physiology, Tohoku University School of Dentistry, 4-1 Seiryomachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-77, Japan.
    e-mail: izumi@physiol.dent.tohoku.ac.jp

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