红核属锥体外系

其主要机能是调节躯体运动和肌紧张。但近年来的工作指出它与感觉的调制也有关。如电刺激红核可抑制大鼠的伤害性行为反应。刺激红核可兴奋中缝大核(NRM)神经元的电活动

而刺激NRM可加强电针在三叉神经脊束核尾侧The modulation of red nucleus (RN) to pain sense was researched with the latent period of radiant-heat tail flick of rats as standard of the pain threshold. The pain threshold of tail flick reflex was raised significantly by bilateral injection of glutamic acid into RN. Simultaneous injecting glutamic acid into RN and lidocaine into nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) could attenuate the raising effect of pain threshold of RN. This showed that the activited RN has analgesic effect and the NRM plays an important role in the descending inhibitory pathway of RN. The discharges of neurons in caudalpart of nucleus spinalis tract nervi trigemini (cNST) evocked by stimulating nerve alveolaris inferior (nAI) with strong pulse were recorded with microelectrode. The nAI-evoked discharges might be inhibited by stimulating contralateral or ipsilateral RN. The RN inhibitory time course on nAI-evoked discharges were shortened after injecting lidocaine into NRM. This demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of RN on neurons in cNST is mediated by NRM. The electrical stimulation of acupoint "Jiache" could inhibit the pain-evoked discharges of neurons in cNST. The inhibitory time course of electrical acupundture were prolonged by stimulating RN. This result revealed that the activated RN can strenthen the analgesic effect of acupuncture.