EFFECT OF IRRADIATION BY SEMICONDUCTOR-LASER ON RESPONSES EVOKED IN TRIGEMINAL CAUDAL NEURONS BY TOOTH-PULP STIMULATION

The effect of irradiation with a gallium-aluminum-arsenide semiconduct or laser on responses evoked in trigeminal subnucleus caudal neurons b y tooth pulp stimulation was investigated electrophysiologically in Wi star rats anesthetized with urethane plus alpha-chloralose. The pulp o f lower incisor was electrically stimulated and the evoked action pote ntials were extracellularly recorded in the ipsilateral caudal neurons . The laser beam was applied on the cervical surface of the stimulated incisor. The rate of firing discharges and the numbers of spikes evok ed in the caudal neurons were compared before and after laser irradiat ion. Laser irradiation suppressed the late discharges in the response of the caudal neurons which were evoked by excitatory inputs from C-fi ber afferents, but did not suppress the early discharges evoked by inp uts from A delta-fiber afferents. This indicates that low power laser irradiation (semiconductor laser: 830 nm, 350 mW, CW, through the toot h structures, for 120 s) inhibited the excitation of unmyelinated fibe rs of the pulp without affecting fine myelinated fibers. These results suggest that low power laser irradiation has a suppressive effect on injured tissue by blocking the depolarization of C-fiber afferents. (C ) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.