Dorsal root rhizotomy and avulsion in the cat: a comparison of long term effects on dorsal horn neuronal activity.

We performed an extracellular microelectrode analysis of the neuronal activity of cells located in deeper laminae of dorsal horns that had been deafferented by ipsilateral lumbar dorsal root rhizotomy or avulsion. Special attention was given to those cells that were recorded in preparations that were more than 6 weeks chronic. We compared the results to those obtained in nondenervated controls and in experiments in which the spinal cord was acutely transected at a midthoracic level, but had intact dorsal roots. There was an increase in ipsilateral flank and contralateral input in the chronically deafferented as compared to nondenervated controls. Differences were observed between long term rhizotomized and avulsed dorsal horns. Receptive fields extended on to flank and thoracic dermatomes after rhizotomy, often requiring only light cutaneous stimuli. Receptive fields were more restricted with avulsion injury, generally requiring moderate to strong, superficial or deep pinch. Histological analysis revealed consistent differential damage to the medial portion of Lissauer's tract with avulsion injury and subsequently more gliosis in the substantia gelatinosa. The loss of this propriospinal pathway may explain the lack of receptive field expansion on to the thoracic dermatomes and the stronger natural stimuli that were required. A higher percentage of cells with bilateral and inhibitory receptive fields was found in experiments in which the spinal cord was transected at a midthoracic level than in the controls. Ipsilateral excitatory receptive fields were also expanded as compared with control observations, but were not found on the flank.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)