cell body reorganization in the spinal cord after sympathectomy

The amount of compensatory sweating depends on the patient, the damage that the white rami communicans incurs, and the amount of cell body reorganization in the spinal cord after surgery.
Other potential complications include inadequate resection of the ganglia, gustatory sweating, pneumothorax, cardiac dysfunction, post-operative pain, and finally Horner’s syndrome secondary to resection of the stellate ganglion.
www.ubcmj.com/pdf/ubcmj_2_1_2010_24-29.pdf

After severing the cervical sympathetic trunk, the cells of the cervical sympathetic ganglion undergo transneuronic degeneration
After severing the sympathetic trunk, the cells of its origin undergo complete disintegration within a year.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0442.1967.tb00255.x/abstract

Saturday, July 20, 2013

sympathectomy led to significant decrements in escape and avoidance responding

PsycNET - Option to Buy: "Chemical sympathectomy and avoidance learning in the rat.
By Di Giusto, E. L.; King, M. G.
Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, Vol 81(3), Dec 1972, 491-500.
Abstract
Reports results of 5 experiments with male Wistar rats (N = 108). Depletion of peripheral sympathetic noradrenaline induced by administration of 6-hydroxydopamine, ip, led to significant decrements in escape and avoidance responding when the required response was difficult, but not when it was relatively easy to acquire. Results are similar to previous findings obtained with adrenal-demedullated Ss. Findings clarify the role of the sympathetic nervous system in the motivation of behavior elicited by aversive stimulation. Implications for 2-process theory and the "Kamin effect," or "learned helplessness," are discussed. (40 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)"

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Patients report that they feel less anxious in stressful situations. Stage fright is reduced. The results are usually permanent.

http://neuro.templehealth.org/content/ETShyperhidrosis.htm

peripheral autonomic denervation affects fear and arousal

States of peripheral autonomic arousal are represented within brain regions that overlap those implicated in emotion Critchley et al. 2000aCritchley et al. 2000bCritchley et al. 2001aCritchley et al. 2001b and Critchley et al. 2001c. Moreover, activity within areas involved in central autonomic control is modulated by feedback of peripheral autonomic responses (Critchley et al., 2001a). These autonomic arousal states bias emotional behavior and influence processes such as memory (e.g., Damasio et al. 1990,Cahill et al. 1994 and Cahill and McGaugh 1998). For example, amygdala is associated with memory enhancement for emotional material, a process thought to be mediated through the influence of states of arousal on amygdalo-hippocampal functional connectivity Cahill et al. 1994Cahill and McGaugh 1998 and Cahill et al. 1999. Peripheral autonomic arousal may also influence conditioning, as suggested by pharmacological and motivational manipulations in animals Young et al. 1995 and Maren et al. 1994.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627302005883