The use of local anaesthetic microinjections to identify central pathways: a quantitative evaluation of the time course and extent of the neuronal block.

The time course and extent of local anaesthetic blocks within the spinal cord of cats were evaluated. A monopolar stimulation electrode with the tip lowered into the dorsal columns (DC) 1000 microns below cord surface was used to activate antidromically DC fibers at the T13 level and evoke cord dorsum potentials at the level of the lumbar spinal cord. The amplitude of the negative deflection, the N-wave, was determined for various stimulation intensities (stimulation-response-function, SRF). Lidocaine (1%) was microinjected in volumes of 0.5 or 1.0 microliter into the DC from a glass micropipette 1 mm caudal to the stimulation site. Conduction block was characterized by a reversible shift of the SRFs to higher stimulation intensities. The diameter of the blocked area in the transverse plane was evaluated from threshold intensities and was found to be 0.9 +/- 0.1 mm 4 to 30 min after the injection of 0.5 microliter lidocaine and 1.6 +/- 0.36 mm 10 to 45 min after the injection of 1.0 microliter lidocaine. In the sagittal plane, the diameter of the blocked area following 1.0 microliter lidocaine was found to be up to 2.8 mm. The DC-block was reversible within 92 min following injection of 1.0 microliter and 69 min after the injection of 0.5 microliter lidocaine. The application of the present findings for blocks in other CNS structures is discussed.