Effects of Sodium Pentobarbital on Electrical and Reflex Activation of the Cardiovascular System

Abstract
The effects of small doses of sodium pentobarbital (5 mg/kg) on the cardiovascular responses to stimulation of the medulla, hypothalamus, stellate ganglia and sciatic nerve, and to bilateral occlusion of the carotid arteries were studied. It was concluded that: 1) this drug depressed cardiovascular responses to all of these procedures except stimulation of the stellate ganglia; 2) the effects of the anesthetic in this dose are referable to some part(s) of the central nervous system; 3) cardiovascular responses to hypothalamic stimulation were depressed more than those elicited by stimulation of the dorsal medullary reticular formation.