Sympathetic, muscarinic vasodilation in cranial vessels of the cat

Pressor responses evoked by stimulation of the preganglionic sympathetic trunk of the feline superior cervical ganglion have been recorded in vivo from the vascular bed perfused by one external carotid and the vertebral artery. When vasoconstrictor activity is blocked and potential vasodilator activity enhanced by close, intracarotid injection of guanethidine and prostaglandin F2 alpha respectively, stimulation evokes a weak pressor response followed, on cessation of stimulation, by a prolonged vasodilation lasting for 6-8 min. The magnitude and duration of the poststimulation vasodilation was reduced significantly by atropine. Due to the prolonged nature of the vasodilation, it is unlikely that a sympathetic cholinergic vasodilation in the classical sense is involved.