Control of the nasal mucosa by the tonic activities of the autonomic nervous system in dogs.

We studied the effects of stimulation and acute denervation of the cervical sympathetic nerve and the vidian nerve on the nasal vascular tone, as measured by intranasal balloon pressure. Significant vasoconstriction was found during electrical stimulation of the cervical sympathetic nerve. When the cervical sympathetic nerve was sectioned, causing a transient vasoconstriction due to the stimulatory effect of the nerve injury, then significant vasodilation was found in 23 out of 30 experiments. Significant vasodilation during electrical stimulation of the vidian nerve and slight but significant vasoconstriction after sectioning of the vidian nerve were also found. In addition, we found spontaneous nerve discharges in the cervical sympathetic nerve trunks. These nerve discharges increased after stopping the respiratory pump. Differences in these sympathetic nerve discharges between the sides of the body were also recognized.