A mathematical approach to quantitative analysis of somatosympathetic reflexes.

Abstract Reflex responses in sympathetic efferent activity to electrical stimulation of somatic afferent nerves were investigated. The integrated reflex activity was expressed as a two-variable function of the stimulus intensity and frequency. It was determined that a fourth order polynomial describes the reflex activity with an error of less than 5%. The stimulus parameters were designed optimally to obtain maximum information of the process with a minimum of stimuli. Reflex activities of cardiac and peripheral vasomotor nerves evoked by sciatic nerve stimulation were analyzed with the method.