Abstract: | The present study determined that a population "nonclassical" sympathetic neurons in cats spinal cord contains catecholamines. They are localized in the central, dorsomedial, and lateral regions of the ventral horn of T1-T5 segments of the spinal cord. Electrophysiological study indicated that axonal conduction velocity is 7.3 +/- 0.5 m/s (ranging from 3.6 to 17.2 m/s). Possible functional roles of catecholamine-containing neurons of spinal cord include involvement in sympathetic control of cardiac cycle duration. |