Search

Background impulse activity of the neurons of ipsilateral medial vestibular nucleus of unilaterally delabyrinthined rats was studied on different days after operation as well as after 5-day vibration. It was found that in intact animals mean neuron discharge rate is 16.6+/-1.7 Hz. On day 2 after affection it falls to 14.7+/-0.9 Hz and returns to the baseline on day 7 after surgery (16.6+/-1.2 Hz). Vibration impact raises mean impulse frequency to 21.2+/-2.8 Hz. Characteristics and significance of the results obtained are discussed.

Effects of single, double, and rhythmic stimulation upon hypothalamic neurons responding to the 1st excitatory phase of lateral vestibular nucleus stimulation, were studied. The data obtained show that activation of some hypothalamic neurons following stimulation of the lateral vestibular nucleus has a monosynaptic character. The findings suggest that ascending afferents from the lateral vestibular nucleus to the hypothalamus pass via oligo- as well as polysynaptic pathways.

Responses of single units of posterior, anterior, ventromedial and lateral hypothalamus to stimulation of abdominal trunk of the vagus nerve were recorded in anesthetized cats simultaneously with the action potentials of the cervical region of the vagus nerve. 28.1% of the neurons responded to the stimulation, the pattern of responses being mainly excitatory. Vagal stimulation proved to be more effective for units of the lateral hypothalamus, 47.1% of the excitatory reactions followed stimulation of A gamma delta--B afferents and 40.4%--stimulation of C afferents of the vagus. Topical organization of the projection of these groups of visceral afferents to different regions of the hypothalamus was partially revealed. Responses of some A gamma sigma--B and C neurons to stimulation of vagus and sciatic nerves suggest convergence of visceral and somatic afferents to the "convergence" types of neurons. Some A gamma delta--B and C units, chiefly in the ventromedial hypothalamus, responded only to stimulation of visceral vagal afferents. The sensory properties of "visceral" neurons of the hypothalamus are discussed.