No abstract available.
Animals ; Rats* ; Sensory Receptor Cells*

BACKGROUND: Using the urinary bladder as a model, neurophysiological studies of visceral primary afferents supplying inflamed tissue have been studied. In this study we have examined the response of the hypogastric afferents supplying the urinary bladder of the cat to intra-arterially injected algesic chemicals after experimental inflammation. METHODS: Twenty units were recorded from the strands of hypogastric nerve. Once a unit was found, the conduction velocity was determined by extracellular recording of single fiber. When the response of the unit excited by mechanical stimuli was found, chemical stimuli were applied by intra-arterial injection of algesic chemicals (bradykinin, KCl). And then, irritant chemical, 3% mustard oil injected into the urinary bladder for the induction of an experimental inflammation. After removal of the irritant and with the empty bladder, the response of the afferent unit to chemical stimuli by intra-arterially injected bradykinin and KCl were studied again. RESULTS: All units were found to be A delta fibers and responded to both mechanical and chemical stimuli. After experimental inflammation, the basal tone and spontaneous contraction of the urinary bladder were increased and spontaneous nerve activity of the hypogastric afferents appeared. Bladder contraction and nerve activity to intra-arterially injected bradykinin decreased more than those of controls before inflammation. The ratio of nerve activity to the bladder contraction after experimental inflammation was increased. CONCLUSIONS: The hypogastric afferents were sensitized after inflammation, which showed increased nerve response to intra-arterially injected bradykinin comparing to the contraction response of the urinary bladder.
Animals ; Bradykinin ; Cats ; Cystitis* ; Inflammation ; Injections, Intra-Arterial ; Mustard Plant ; Sensory Receptor Cells* ; Urinary Bladder*

The rectum is a unique visceral organ, of which afferents are not so obvious. In anorectal surgery ablating the rectum and/or perirectal structure, this issue comes with significant meaning about whether to preserve patient's normal defecatory function, or not. So we planned this study to evaluate which nervous system concerns the afferents from the rectum. METHODS: We recorded cerebral evoked potential (EPs) in 16 healthy male subjects after electrical and mechanical stimulation of the rectum, and compared their waving patterns regarding latencies and amplitudes of each peak with those occuring after electrical stimulation of the pudendal nerve. RESULTS: The EPs after electrical stimulation of the rectum showed distinctly different waving patterns in comparison to those after electrical stimulation of the pudendal nerve. But the EPs after mechanical stimulation of the rectum showed very similar waving patterns with those after electrical stimulation of the pudendal nerve. CONCLUSIONS: Rectal afferents of mechanical stimulation seem to be somatosensory, but those of electrical stimulation seem visceral. In that sense, sensory receptors of mechanical stimulation may lie in the perirectal structure, such as pelvic floor muscle and those of electrical stimulation lie in the rectum, itself.
Electric Stimulation ; Evoked Potentials* ; Humans ; Male ; Nervous System ; Pelvic Floor ; Pudendal Nerve ; Rectum ; Sensory Receptor Cells

We studied 283 patients with herpes zoster who visited to the Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital between January, 1982 and December, 1985 about the distribution of age, sex, seasonal incidence, associated diseases, camplications and the effect of systemic prednisolone on post herpetic neuralgia. And we also examined the functional states of involved sensory nerve endings by observing the axon flare response to histamine test. The results were as follows . 1. There was no significant differences in sexual and seasonal distributions. 2. There were low incidences of herpes zoster in age groups of below 20 years and over 70 years than age groups of 20 69 years. 3. Sites of involvement were thoracic(170 cases), cervical(38 cases), trigeminal(35 cases), lumbar(28 cases), sacral(11 cases) and facial(1 case) dermatomes. 4. Associated diseases were diabetes mellitus(7 cases), hypertension(7 cases). pulmonary tuberculosis(6 cases), malignant neoplasms(3 cases) and renal transplantation (1 case). 5. Complications were post herpetic neuralgia(18 cases), keratoconjunctivitis(9 cases), meningoencephalitis(1 case), Ramsay Hunt syndrome(1 case), urinary difficulty(1 case) and generalized varicelliform eruption(1 case). 6. The incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia was reduced by systemic prednisolone therapy in patients over 60 years. 7. There was no decrease of axon flare by histamine test on the affected area in 18 patients with herpes zoster.
Axons ; Heart ; Herpes Zoster* ; Histamine* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney Transplantation ; Neuralgia ; Prednisolone ; Seasons ; Sensory Receptor Cells

Somatosensory evoked potentials(SSEP) study is a simple and quantitative test, and has been used to evaluate the sensory system along the somatosensory pathway from peripheral sensory receptor to the cortex. The ascending pathway of SSEP has been known to be posterior column-lemniscal pathway, but not without controversy. To define the relationship beyween SSEPs and sensort changes, the posterior tibial SSEPs of 226 extremities with variable kinds of myelopathy were analyzed and compared with 123 healthy adults without definite neurological deficit. The lrhs of myelopathy were divided into 4 groups ; A group, 58 extremities showing lateral column dysfunction ; B group 45 extremities showing posterior columhn dysfunction ; C group, 109 estremities showing both lateral and posterior column dysfunction ; D group, 14 extremities showing no definite sensory deficit. Following results are obtained : 1. Spinal T12 evoked potentials are detected in all normal control and patients with myelopathy. Cortical P1 evoked potentials, however, are detectable in 59-100% of patients edpending on sensory deficits, especially low in the groups of posterior column dysfunction (59-86%). 2. There is no significant difference in latencies and amplitudes of spinal T12 between normal controls and patients with myelopathy. 3. The mean latency of cortical P1 and central conduction time (CCT) of the patients with myelopathy are significantly prolonged compared to the group with normal control (p<0.05) and the amplitudes are also significantly diminished (p<0.05). 4. The changes on latencies and amplitudes of cortical P1 are correlated to the integrity of posterior column rather than to that of the lateral column. In conclusion, this stucy shows that the main conduction pathway of SSEP is the posterior column rather than lateral column and, that SSEP is a clinically valuable noninvasive tool for evaluating posterior column function objectively and quantitatively.
Adult ; Evoked Potentials ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; Spinal Cord Diseases* ; Tibial Nerve*

Chronic pain and itch are a pathological operation of the somatosensory system at the levels of primary sensory neurons, spinal cord and brain. Pain and itch are clearly distinct sensations, and recent studies have revealed the separate neuronal pathways that are involved in each sensation. However, the mechanisms by which these sensations turn into a pathological chronic state are poorly understood. A proposed mechanism underlying chronic pain and itch involves abnormal excitability in dorsal horn neurons in the spinal cord. Furthermore, an increasing body of evidence from models of chronic pain and itch has indicated that synaptic hyperexcitability in the spinal dorsal horn might not be a consequence simply of changes in neurons, but rather of multiple alterations in glial cells. Thus, understanding the key roles of glial cells may provide us with exciting insights into the mechanisms of chronicity of pain and itch, and lead to new targets for treating chronic pain and itch.
Animals ; Chronic Pain ; pathology ; Humans ; Neuralgia ; metabolism ; Pruritus ; pathology ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; physiology ; Spinal Cord ; pathology

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The presence of encapsulated nerve corpuscles that is involved in regulating middle ear pressure has been noticed in previous studies. Based on those findings, how the sensory receptors in the tympanic membrane and tubal function are related was tested in the present study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tubal function was tested by 9 step test using Grason-Stadler institute(GSI) Middle ear analyzer II Eustachian tube function(ETF) test mode. Tubal function was recorded as compliance of the tympanic membrane on an otoadmittance meter. To anesthetize the sensory receptors in the tympanic membrane, iontophoresis was applied to the twenty right ears of the twenty subjects. RESULTS: Peak pressure difference in the middle ear was reduced after the tympanic membrane (TM) anesthesia, which indicates that the tubal function has decreased due to pressure change in the sensory receptors in the tympanic membrane. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study suggest that there may be a neural connection between the sensory receptors in the tympanic membrane and the tubal muscle, as the eustachian tube function changed following the TM anesthesia.
Anesthesia* ; Compliance ; Ear ; Ear, Middle* ; Eustachian Tube ; Exercise Test ; Iontophoresis* ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; Tympanic Membrane*

Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is the most common disabling complication of diabetes. Emerging evidence has linked the pathogenesis of DNP to the aberrant sprouting of sensory axons into the epidermal area; however, the underlying molecular events remain poorly understood. Here we found that an axon guidance molecule, Netrin-3 (Ntn-3), was expressed in the sensory neurons of mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRGs), and downregulation of Ntn-3 expression was highly correlated with the severity of DNP in a diabetic mouse model. Genetic ablation of Ntn-3 increased the intra-epidermal sprouting of sensory axons and worsened the DNP in diabetic mice. In contrast, the elevation of Ntn-3 levels in DRGs significantly inhibited the intra-epidermal axon sprouting and alleviated DNP in diabetic mice. In conclusion, our studies identified Ntn-3 as an important regulator of DNP pathogenesis by gating the aberrant sprouting of sensory axons, indicating that Ntn-3 is a potential druggable target for DNP treatment.
Mice ; Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/metabolism* ; Axons/physiology* ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; Sensory Receptor Cells/metabolism* ; Neuralgia/metabolism*

PURPOSE: To identify sensory nerve endings in the human hip joint capsule and in the pseudocapsule after total hip replacement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten hip joint capsules from patients undergoing bipolar hip replacement for acute femoral neck fracture, and six pseudocapsules from patients undergoing revision hip surgery for failed total hip replacement were harvested and stained in bulk using a modified gold-chloride method. Sensory nerve endings were identified using the criteria described by Freeman and Wyke. RESULTS: Three morphologically distinct types of nerve endings were identified in the normal human hip joint capsules; type I Ruffini corpuscles, type II Pacinian corpuscles and type IV free nerve endings. In contrast, no proprioceptive nerve endings (type I and II receptors) were observed in pseudocapsular tissues. A small number of type IV receptors were noted in the pseudocapsule, but these were significantly fewer in number than in normal hip capsular tissue. CONCLUSION: The pseudocapsule that forms after hip replacement surgery may protect joint stability through a mechanical check-rein effect rather than through a proprioceptive feedback mechanism.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip* ; Capsules ; Feedback, Sensory ; Femoral Neck Fractures ; Hip Joint* ; Hip* ; Humans* ; Joints ; Mechanoreceptors ; Nerve Endings ; Pacinian Corpuscles ; Sensory Receptor Cells

DCs, like the sensory neurons, express vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1). Here we demonstrate that the VR1 agonists, capsaicin (CP) and resiniferatoxin (RTX), enhance antiviral CTL responses by increasing MHC class I-restricted viral antigen presentation in dendritic cells (DCs). Bone marrow-derived DCs (BM-DCs) were infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus (VV) expressing OVA (VV-OVA), and then treated with CP or RTX. Both CP and RTX increased MHC class I-restricted presentation of virus-encoded endogenous OVA in BM-DCs. Oral administration of CP or RTX significantly increased MHC class I-restricted OVA presentation by splenic and lymph node DCs in VV-OVA-infected mice, as assessed by directly measuring OVA peptide SIINFEKL-Kb complexes on the cell surface and by performing functional assays using OVA-specific CD8 T cells. Accordingly, oral administration of CP or RTX elicited potent OVA-specific CTL activity in VV-OVA-infected mice. The results from this study demonstrate that VR1 agonists enhance anti-viral CTL responses, as well as a neuro-immune connection in anti-viral immune responses.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Antigen Presentation* ; Capsaicin* ; Dendritic Cells* ; Lymph Nodes ; Mice ; Ovum ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; T-Lymphocytes ; Vaccinia virus