传统的观念认为

红核的主要机能是调节躯体运动和肌紧张。但近年来有少量工作提示

红核与感觉的调制也有关。我们以往的工作证明

兴奋大鼠红核可使引起甩尾反The spontaneous discharges of neurons in red nucleus(RN) of rats have been recorded with microelectrode. The discharge frequency of most RN neurons was changed by nociceptive electrical stimulation of nervi peronaeus communis or nervi tibialis or by nociceptive mechanical stimulation of tail or hind leg. The electrical activities of the somatic snsory neurons in the nucleus ventrilis posterolateralis (VPL) of thalamus and of the visceral sensory neurons in the nucleus anterior and nucleus parafascicularis of thalamus have been recorded. According to the form of response to the peripheral nociceptive stimulation the neurons concerned could be divided into three types

pain-excited

pain-inhibited and pain-nonrelated. Electrical stimulating RN could change the spontaneous discharge frequency of somatic pain-related neurons of VPL and visceral painrelated neurons of nucleus anterior and nucleus parafascicularis

and could inhibit their response to somatic and visceral nociceptive stimulation respectively

but did not have influence on the activity of most pain-nonrelated neurons in VPL. The effects of electrical stimulating RN and microinjecting Ach into RN on the same pain-reated neuron in VPL were similar. The experimental results show that RN can receive the somatic afferent impulses

that the excited RN can inhibit the transmission of somatic and visceral nociceptive impulses into the thalamus

and that the analgesic effect of RN is concerned with Ach