Responses of adrenal sympathetic nerve activity and catecholamine secretion to cutaneous stimulation in anesthetized rats.

Reflex effects of cutaneous mechanical stimulation on adrenal sympathetic efferent nerve activity and secretion rates of the adrenal medullary hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) were studied in anesthetized rats. Noxious pinching stimulation of the lower chest or hindpaw skin for 3 min produced proportional reflex increases in both the nerve activity and secretion rates of epinephrine and norepinephrine from the adrenal medulla in animals with an intact central nervous system. However, lower chest stimulation elicited a longer lasting response than hindpaw stimulation, 7-17 min vs 1 min after cessation of the stimulation, respectively. After spinal transection at the C1-2 level, only lower chest stimulation was capable of producing a reflex response, lasting 1 min after cessation of the stimulation. Contrary to the responses elicited by pinching, non-noxious brushing stimulation of the lower chest or hindlimb skin for 3 min in animals with an intact central nervous system produced proportional reflex decreases in nerve activity and epinephrine and norepinephrine secretion rates during the stimulation period only. Some slight increases in both nerve activity and secretion rates, lasting several minutes, followed cessation of the stimulation. However, in spinalized animals, non-noxious lower chest or hindlimb stimulation produced opposite effects, increasing both the nerve activity and secretion rates of epinephrine and norepinephrine. In spinalized animals lower chest brushing stimulation elicited a much stronger response than hindlimb brushing stimulation. It was concluded that; (1) the secretion of adrenal medullary hormones can be controlled reflexly by mechanical cutaneous stimulation through the central nervous system via adrenal sympathetic efferent nerves; (2) the excitatory effect of the cutaneo-adrenal medullary reflexes was independent of noxious or non-noxious stimulation at the spinal level, whereas in rats with an intact central nervous system the effect was either excitatory or inhibitory in response to noxious or non-noxious stimulation, respectively; (3) there is a marked segmental organization of this reflex at the spinal level which is modified into a generalized response through supraspinal central structures.