Effects of vincristine sulfate on touch dome function in the rat.

The responses of touch domes in hairy skin of the rat to mechanical stimulation were examined after single doses of vincristine sulfate. Within 24 h of drug administration, the mean thresholds of domes to brief mechanical pulses had increased threefold, from 5.2 +/- 2.0 to 14.2 +/- 8.8 microns. This elevated threshold was maintained for 2 weeks but by the 3rd week the domes had recovered normal excitability. Measurements of response latency suggested that the increase in receptor thresholds occurred without impulse propagation being impaired in the axons.