ON THE MECHANISM AND LOCALIZATION OF THE SYMPTOMS OF ELECTROSHOCK AND ELECTRONARCOSIS

Abstract

The symptoms of electroshock and electronarcosis in decere-brate and uni- and bilateral decorticate prepns. and in animals with one deafferented hind leg were compared with the syndrome of shock and narcosis in normal animals. In the de-cerebrate prepns., shock and narcosis produced an enhancement of the decerebrate rigidity and an increase of the respiratory rate. The respiratory arrest observed in the course of electroshock and electronarcosis in the intact animal is considerably shortened in the decerebrate prepn. This indicates that the arrest in the normal animal is not caused by a paralyzing action of the current directly on the respiratory center, but by inhibition of that center. Unilateral and bilateral de-cortication did not produce major changes in the symptoms of electroshock and electronarcosis. This may indicate the relative unimportance of the cortex for the production of this syndrome. The observations on animals with one deafferented limb made it clear that, in general, no spinal reflex mechanism is involved in the production of the extensor contractions which are part of the shock and narcosis symptoms.