Complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I, formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy) is a painful neuropathic disorder that develops after trauma affecting the limbs without overt nerve injury. Clinical features are spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia, impairment of motor function, swelling, changes in sweating, and vascular abnormalities. In this study, the pathophysiological mechanisms o...

Sympathetic modulation of cutaneous vasomotor waves in humans is most effective at frequencies up to 0.1 Hz. In contrast, sympathetic modulation of mesenteric vasomotor waves in rats is strongest in the frequency band between 0.2 and 0.75 Hz. Therefore, we addressed the question as to whether these different frequency response characteristics are due to species- or organ-specific disparities. E...

Cervical spondylosis is a broad term which describes the age related chronic disc degeneration. The degenerative changes start in the intervertebral disc with osteophyte formation and lead to physiological degenerative cascade that contributes to biomechanical changes that result in neural and vascular compression. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) influences the functions of nearly all organ syst...

Pupil diameter was monitored during picture viewing to assess effects of hedonic valence and emotional arousal on pupillary responses. Autonomic activity (heart rate and skin conductance) was concurrently measured to determine whether pupillary changes are mediated by parasympathetic or sympathetic activation. Following an initial light reflex, pupillary changes were larger when viewing emotion...

BACKGROUND Sympathetic excitation characterizes heart failure, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Abnormal baroreflex restraint of sympathetic neural outflow has been proposed, since baroreflexes are known to be abnormal in heart failure. The purpose of this study was to determine if sympathetic activation in humans with heart failure is limited to regions governed by the baroreflexe...

Local sympathetic denervation by surgical sympathectomy is used in the treatment of lower limb ulcers and ischemia, but the restoration of cutaneous sympathetic nerve functions is less clear. This study aims to explore the recovery of cutaneous sympathetic functions after bilateral L2-4 sympathectomy. The skin temperature of the left feet, using a point monitoring thermometer, increased intraop...

Kellogg, D. L., Jr. In vivo mechanisms of cutaneous vasodilation and vasoconstriction in humans during thermoregulatory challenges. J Appl Physiol 100: 1709–1718, 2006; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01071.2005.—This review focuses on the neural and local mechanisms that have been demonstrated to effect cutaneous vasodilation and vasoconstriction in response to heat and cold stress in vivo in humans....

This review focuses on the neural and local mechanisms that have been demonstrated to effect cutaneous vasodilation and vasoconstriction in response to heat and cold stress in vivo in humans. First, our present understanding of the mechanisms by which sympathetic cholinergic nerves mediate cutaneous active vasodilation during reflex responses to whole body heating is discussed. These mechanisms...