Cutaneous and muscular rasodilation in the canine hindlimb evoked by central stimulation.

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Abstract
Using stereotaxic procedures, we electrically stimulated specific sites in the hypothalamus and midbrain of anesthetized dogs pretreated with guanethidine and atropine methonitrate. A tract in which stimulation caused noncholinergic dilator responses in the hindlimbs was identified. The course of this trace was different from that subserving cholinergic vasodilation in the hindlimb musculature. In a number of experiments we studied the proportional distribution of blood flow to leg and paw. Responses restricted to the paw were regarded as occurring mainly in cutaneous vessels; those restricted to the leg were regarded as occurring mainly in the skeletal muscle vessels. Some dilator responses in both beds were abolished by intra-arterial administration of antihistamines: other dilator responses were abolished by intra-arterial injections of dopamine antagonists. Centrally evoked dilation of leg and paw vessels by noncholinergic pathways suggests physiological roles for these fibers in the regulation of cardiovascular function.