Spinal segmental sympathetic outflow to cervical sympathetic trunk, vertebral nerve, inferior cardiac nerve and sympathetic fibres in the thoracic vagus

The spinal segmental localization of preganglionic neurons which convey activity to the sympathetic nerves, i.e. vertebral nerve, right inferior cardiac nerve, sympathetic fibres in the thoracic vagus and cervical sympathetic trunk, was determined on the right side in chloralose anaesthetized cats. For that purpose the upper thoracic white rami were electrically stimulated with a single pulse, suprathreshold for B and C fibres, and the evoked responses were recorded in the sympathetic nerves. The relative preganglionic input from each segment of the spinal cord to the four sympathetic nerves was determined from the size of the evoked responses. It was found that each sympathetic nerve receives a maximum preganglionic input from one segment of the spinal cord (dominant segment) and that the preganglionic input gradually decreased from neighbouring segments. The spinal segmental preganglionic outflow to the cervical sympathetic trunk, thoracic vagus, right inferior cardiac nerve and vertebral nerve gradually shifted from the most rostral to the most caudal spinal cord segments. In some cases, a marked postganglionic component was found in the cervical sympathetic trunk. It was evoked by preganglionic input from the same spinal cord segments which transmitted activity to the vertebral nerve. These results indicate that there is a fixed relation between the spinal segmental localization of preganglionic neurons and the branch of the stellate ganglion receiving the input from these neurons.