A functional study of uncrossed and crossed pulmonary afferent fibres in the cervical vagus nerves of the cat

The functional distribution of uncrossed and crossed pulmonary afferent fibres in the cervical vagus nerves has been studied in the anaesthetized cat using acute and chronic unilateral pneumonectomized preparations. The heart and lungs were sympathectomized routinely. The vagal afferent pathways of three pulmonary reflexes were investigated: the Hering-Breuer respiratory reflex, the lung inflation cardio-accelerator reflex, and the pulmonary chemoreflex. Inflation of the remaining lung caused temporary inhibition of inspiration. It also resulted in acceleration of the heart, but only when the background cardiac vagal tone was augmented. These respiratory and cardiac responses were abolished in most animals by ipsilateral cervical vagotomy; however, in some, a small response persisted and this was abolished by contralateral vagotomy. Stimulation of pulmonary C-fibre endings with right atrial injections of phenylbiguanide caused a reduction in respiration, bradycardia and systemic hypotension, responses which occurred with a latency of 2.9 +/- 0.15 s. They were mostly abolished by ipsilateral cervical vagotomy, but reduced responses persisted in a few animals. The residual responses were abolished by contralateral cervical vagotomy and by selective denervation of the lung. These results indicate that most afferent fibres subserving the three pulmonary reflexes studied run in the ipsilateral cervical vagus, representing the uncrossed pathway. Some afferent fibres, however, cross to the contralateral cervical vagus. Degenerative changes in cells of the contralateral nodose ganglion in chronic unilateral pneumonectomized animals support these findings.