Long systems of the dorsolateral fascicle: influence of afferentation from the splanchnic region.

The influence of afferentation from the splanchnic region on the activity of long systems in the dorsolateral fascicle (DLF) was studied in chloralose-anaesthetized cats. Ascending axons (the dorsal spinocerebellar tract, DSCT and the spinocervical tract, SCT) did not respond to splanchnic stimuli. Conditioning from the splanchnic region modified their activity; the effect (mainly inhibitory) was strongest in the case of exteroceptive channels. The reaction of long propriospinal neurones depended on whether they belonged to ascending or descending pathways. No responses to splanchic stimuli were observed in the axons of ascending (proprioceptive, exteroceptive) units and conditioning from the splanchnic region only modified their activity. In decending axons, synaptic discharges with a long latent period (over 20 msec) were generated. The interaction of inputs from the visceral and somatosensory regions resulted in reciprocal inhibition of the tested activity. In axons descending from suprasegmental areas, splanchnic afferentation generated synaptic discharges with a time course comparable to spino-bulbo-spinal activity. Interaction with the responses from somatic nerves resulted inhibition of the tested activity. The results confirmed that the splanchnic region participates in modifying and evoking activity in the long DLF systems.