Rhythmic electrical activity in branches of the stellate ganglion in the cat during postnatal ontogenesis.

Electrical activity in branches of the stellate ganglion was studied in neonatal cats and cats aged 10, 20, and 30 days and two and six months, with subsequent spectral analysis. Maturation of the pattern of the baseline rhythmic activity in branches of the ganglion differed during ontogenesis in the kittens. The neonatal period until the end of the second month of life was accompanied by an increase in the amplitude of electrical oscillations. Synchronous discharges in postganglionic fibers consisted of slow, low-amplitude oscillations at the respiratory frequency and heart rate in neonatal and 10-day-old-kittens. Synchronous spike activity with a frequency of about 10 Hz appeared from day 20 of life. The formation of the pattern of sympathetic nerve fiber discharges was complete by the second month of life.