Biull Eksp Biol Med. 1988 Oct; 106(10): 390-2.

[Role of giant cell nuclei of the reticular formation in mechanisms of analgesia during auricular electroacupuncture and action of morphine]

Bragin EO, Batueva NN, Vasilenko GF.

The activity of antinociceptive mechanisms induced by auricular electroacupuncture (AEA) and intraperitoneal injection of morphine (M) was studied on rats subjected to bilateral lesion of gigantocellular nuclei (GCN). It was shown that under AEA hot-plate (HP) and tail-flick (TF) latencies (L) significantly increased as compared to the baseline level. A comparison of L shows that HP and TF in the experimental group were significantly shorter than in the control group. After M injection the rats of both the experimental and control groups showed a significant increase of HP L and TF L as compared to the baseline level, but there was no difference in L between the groups. It is concluded that neurochemical systems of GCN are involved in the mechanism of antinociception elicited in AEA while the mechanisms of antinociceptive effect of M do not involve GCN.