Supraspinal influences on spinal sympathetic reflexes

Activation of central sympathetic networks during innocuous and noxious somatosensory stimulation

“…We cannot completely rule out that peripheral or spinal reflexes contributed to the observed vasoconstrictor responses. However, it has been previously shown that painful stimulation of the foot triggers vasoconstriction in the upper limbs and that this vasoconstriction habituates when the painful stimulations are repeated at longer intervals (Drummond, 2003;Kolev, 2003). These findings clearly indicate a supraspinal component of the control of sympathetic vasoconstrictor reflexes (Drummond, 2003) and are in line with similar results demonstrated in animal studies (Jänig, 1975).…”