[Participation of the nucleus epibasalis centralis in regulating the function of the skin-feather complex of poultry].

In acute experiments on anesthetized mature chickens, the bioelectrical activity of epibasal neurons was influenced upon both by means of intradermal histamine injections and direct histamine application to the medial region of n. epibasalis centralis, as well as by uni- and bilateral lesion of this structure. The processes under study were evaluated with respect to the parameters of focal potentials and neuronal reactions induced in n. epibasalis centralis as well as by the measurement of the feather adhesive force, the latter being a correlate for the skin analyzer sensibility. It is shown that the feather adhesive force increases with growing activity of the central neurons and decreases in case of their activity suppression or lesion of the nucleus.