Acetylcholine modulates respiratory pattern: effects mediated by M3-like receptors in preBötzinger complex inspiratory neurons

Muscarinic receptors and alpha2-adrenoceptors interact to modulate the respiratory rhythm in mouse neonates

The respiratory rhythm generator (RRG) is modulated by several endogenous substances, including acetylcholine (ACh) and noradrenaline (NA) that interact in several modulatory processes. To know whether ACh and NA interacted to modulate the RRG activity, we used medullary "en bloc" and slice preparations from neonatal mice where the RRG has been shown to receive a facilitatory modulation from A1/C1 neurons, via a continuous release of endogenous NA and activation of alpha2 adrenoceptors. Applying ACh at 25 microM activated the RRG but ACh had no effects at 50 microM. Applying the ACh receptor agonists nicotine and muscarine facilitated and depressed the RRG, respectively. After yohimbine pre-treatment that blocked the alpha2 facilitation, the nicotinic facilitation was not altered, the muscarinic depression was reversed and ACh 50 microM significantly facilitated the RRG. After L-tyrosine pre-treatment that potentiated the alpha2 facilitation, the muscarinic depression was enhanced. Thus, ACh regulates the RRG activity via nicotinic and muscarinic receptors, the muscarinic receptors interacting with alpha2 adrenoceptors.

Persistent rhythmic oscillations induced by nicotine on neonatal rat hypoglossal motoneurons in vitro

Patch-clamp recording from hypoglossal motoneurons in neonatal Wistar rat brainstem slices was used to investigate the electrophysiological effects of bath-applied nicotine (10 microm). While nicotine consistently evoked membrane depolarization (or inward current under voltage clamp), it also induced electrical oscillations (3-13 Hz; lasting for >/= 8.5 min) on 40% of motoneurons. Oscillations required activation of nicotinic receptors sensitive to dihydro-beta-erythroidine (0.5 microm) or methyllycaconitine (5 nm), and were accompanied by enhanced frequency of spontaneous glutamatergic events. The slight voltage dependence of oscillations and their block by the gap junction blocker, carbenoxolone, suggest they originate from electrically coupled neurons. Network nicotinic receptors desensitized more slowly than motoneuron ones, demonstrating that network receptors remained active longer to support heightened release of the endogenous glutamate necessary for enhancing the network excitability. The ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonist, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), and the group I metabotropic receptor antagonist, (RS)-1-aminoindan-1,5-dicarboxylic acid (AIDA), suppressed oscillations, while the NMDA receptor antagonist, d-amino-phosphonovaleriate (APV), produced minimal depression. Nicotine-evoked oscillations constrained spike firing at low rates, although motoneurons could still generate high-frequency trains of action potentials with unchanged gain for input depolarization. This is the first demonstration that persistent activation of nicotinic receptors could cause release of endogenous glutamate to evoke sustained oscillations in the theta frequency range. As this phenomenon likely represented a powerful process to coordinate motor output to tongue muscles, our results outline neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) as a novel target for pharmacological enhancement of motoneuron output in motor dysfunction.

Central cholinergic modulation of blood pressure short-term variability

The role of neurally born acetylcholine in the central modulation of cardiovascular short-term variability was assessed using a pharmacological probe physostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor that can act centrally also. Experiments were performed in instrumented conscious rats. Equidistant sampling at 20 Hz of systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) and heart rate (HR) allowed direct spectral analysis. Spectra were analysed in the whole, very-low frequency (VLF), low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) domains. Physostigmine, but not neostigmine, increased SAP, LF SAP and HF SAP variability while neostigmine, but not physostigmine, decreased HR without affecting HR variability. Atropine methyl nitrate prevented neostigmine-induced bradycardia and potentiated the effects of physostigmine on DAP, LF DAP and HF DAP variability. Atropine sulphate, hexamethonium, phentolamine and metoprolol inhibited physostigmine-induced increase of SAP and LF SAP. Pre-treatment of rats by quinapril prevented physostigmine-induced increase of SAP, but not of LF SAP, while the V(1a) antagonist prevented the increase of HF SAP. The results suggest that central cholinergic neurons facilitate but do not create LF SAP and HF SAP variability. The effect of physostigmine on LF SAP seems to be mediated via central muscarinic sites and the peripheral sympathetic system, while non-muscarinic central sites and vasopressin pathways subserve the increase of HF SAP.

Impaired cardiac and sympathetic autonomic control in rats differing in acetylcholine receptor sensitivity

Acetylcholine receptors (AChR) are important in premotor and efferent control of autonomic function; however, the extent to which cardiovascular function is affected by genetic variations in AChR sensitivity is unknown. We assessed heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in rats bred for resistance (FRL) or sensitivity (FSL) to cholinergic agents compared with Sprague-Dawley rats (SD), confirmed by using hypothermic responses evoked by the muscarinic agonist oxotremorine (0.2 mg/kg ip) ( n ≥ 9 rats/group). Arterial pressure, ECG, and splanchnic sympathetic (SNA) and phrenic (PNA) nerve activities were acquired under anesthesia (urethane 1.3 g/kg ip). HRV was assessed in time and frequency domains from short-term R-R interval data, and spontaneous heart rate BRS was obtained by using a sequence method at rest and after administration of atropine methylnitrate (mATR, 2 mg/kg iv). Heart rate and SNA baroreflex gains were assessed by using conventional pharmacological methods. FRL and FSL were normotensive but displayed elevated heart rates, reduced HRV and HF power, and spontaneous BRS compared with SD. mATR had no effect on these parameters in FRL or FSL, indicating reduced cardiovagal tone. FSL exhibited reduced PNA frequency, longer baroreflex latency, and reduced baroreflex gain of heart rate and SNA compared with FRL and SD, indicating in FSL dual impairment of cardiac and circulatory baroreflexes. These findings show that AChR resistance results in reduced cardiac muscarinic receptor function leading to cardiovagal insufficiency. In contrast, AChR sensitivity results in autonomic and respiratory abnormalities arising from alterations in central muscarinic and or other neurotransmitter receptors.

Ablation of vagal preganglionic neurons innervating the extra-thoracic trachea affects ventilatory responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia

This study tested the hypothesis that during hypercapnia or hypoxia, airway-related vagal preganglionic neurons (AVPNs) of the nucleus ambiguus (NA) release acetylcholine (ACh), which in a paracrine fashion, activates ACh receptors expressed by inspiratory rhythm generating cells. AVPNs in the NA were ablated by injecting a saporin- (SA) cholera toxin b subunit (CTb-SA) conjugate into the extra-thoracic trachea (n=6). Control animals were injected with free CTb (n=6). In CTb treated rats, baseline ventilation and ventilatory responses to hypercapnia (5 and 12% CO(2) in O(2)) or hypoxia (8% O(2) in N(2)) were similar (p>0.05) prior to and 5 days after injection. CTb-SA injected rats maintained rhythmic breathing patterns 5 days post injection, however, tachypneic responses to hypercapnia or hypoxia were significantly reduced. The number of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactive cells in the NA was much lower (p<0.05) in CTb-SA rats as compared to animals receiving CTb only. These results suggest that AVPNs participate in the respiratory frequency response to hypercapnia or hypoxia.

Perinatal development of respiratory motoneurons

Breathing movements require the coordinated recruitment of cranial and spinal motoneurons innervating muscles of the upper airway and ribcage. A significant part of respiratory motoneuron development and maturation occurs prenatally to support the generation of fetal breathing movements in utero and sustained breathing at birth. Postnatally, motoneuron properties are further refined and match changes in the maturing respiratory musculoskeletal system. In this review, we outline developmental changes in key respiratory motoneuronal populations occurring from the time of motoneuron birth in the embryo through the postnatal period. We will also bring attention to major deficiencies in the current knowledge of perinatal respiratory motoneuron development. To date, our understanding of processes occurring during the prenatal period comes primarily from analysis of phrenic motoneurons (PMNs), whereas information about postnatal development derives largely from studies of PMN and hypoglossal motoneuron properties.

Cholinergic neurotransmission in the preBötzinger Complex modulates excitability of inspiratory neurons and regulates respiratory rhythm

We investigated whether there is endogenous acetylcholine (ACh) release in the preBötzinger Complex (preBötC), a medullary region hypothesized to contain neurons generating respiratory rhythm, and how endogenous ACh modulates preBötCneuronal function and regulates respiratory pattern. Using a medullary slice preparation from neonatal rat, we recorded spontaneous respiratory-related rhythm from the hypoglossal nerve roots (XIIn) and patch-clamped preBötC inspiratory neurons. Unilateral microinjection of physostigmine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, into the preBötC increased the frequency of respiratory-related rhythmic activity from XIIn to 116+/-13% (mean+/-S.D.) of control. Ipsilateral physostigmine injection into the hypoglossal nucleus (XII nucleus) induced tonic activity, increased the amplitude and duration of the integrated inspiratory bursts of XIIn to 122+/-17% and 117+/-22% of control respectively; but did not alter frequency. In preBötC inspiratory neurons, bath application of physostigmine (10 microM) induced an inward current of 6.3+/-10.6 pA, increased the membrane noise, decreased the amplitude of phasic inspiratory drive current to 79+/-16% of control, increased the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents to 163+/-103% and decreased the whole cell input resistance to 73+/-22% of control without affecting the threshold for generation of action potentials. Bath application of physostigmine concurrently induced tonic activity, increased the frequency, amplitude and duration of inspiratory bursts of XIIn motor output. Bath application of 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide (4-DAMP, 2 microM), a M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) selective antagonist, increased the input resistance of preBötC inspiratory neurons to 116+/-9% of control and blocked all of the effects of physostigmine except for the increase in respiratory frequency. Dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DH-beta-E; 0.2 microM), an alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptor (nAChR) selective antagonist, blocked all the effects of physostigmine except for the increase in inspiratory burst amplitude. In the presence of both 4-DAMP and DH-beta-E, physostigmine induced opposite effects, i.e. a decrease in frequency and amplitude of XIIn rhythmic activity. These results suggest that there is cholinergic neurotransmission in the preBötC which regulates respiratory frequency, and in XII nucleus which regulates tonic activity, and the amplitude and duration of inspiratory bursts of XIIn in neonatal rats. Physiologically relevant levels of ACh release, via mAChRs antagonized by 4-DAMP and nAChRs antagonized by DH-beta-E, modulate the excitability of inspiratory neurons and excitatory neurotransmission in the preBötC, consequently regulating respiratory rhythm.

Opposing muscarinic and nicotinic modulation of hypoglossal motor output to genioglossus muscle in rats in vivo

The genioglossus (GG) muscle of the tongue, innervated by the hypoglossal motor nucleus (HMN), helps maintain an open airway for effective breathing. In vitro studies in neonatal rodents have separately characterized muscarinic and nicotinic receptor influences at the HMN but the net effects of combined nicotinic and muscarinic receptor activation and increased endogenous acetylcholine have not been determined in adult animals in vivo. Urethane-anaesthetized, tracheotomized and vagotomised rats were studied. Microdialysis perfusion of acetylcholine into the HMN significantly decreased respiratory-related GG activity (28.5 +/- 11.0% at a threshold dose of 0.1 mm). Application of the cholinergic agonists carbachol and muscarine have similar suppression effects (GG activity was decreased 11.8 +/- 4.3 and 20.5 +/- 5.8%, respectively, at 0.01 microm). Eserine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, also decreased the amplitude of respiratory-related GG activity (36.4 +/- 11.3% at 1.0 microm) indicating that endogenous acetylcholine modulates GG activity. Although these results showed that suppression of GG activity predominates during cholinergic stimulation at the HMN, application of the nicotinic receptor agonist dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium iodide significantly increased tonic and respiratory-related GG activity (156 +/- 33% for respiratory activity at 1.0 mm) showing that excitatory responses are also present. Consistent with this, 100 microm carbachol decreased GG activity by 44.2 +/- 7.5% of control, with atropine (10 microm) reducing this suppression to 13.8 +/- 4.0% (P < 0.001). However, the nicotinic receptor antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine (100 microm) increased the carbachol-mediated suppression to 69.5 +/- 5.9% (P = 0.011), consistent with a role for nicotinic receptors in limiting the overall suppression of GG activity during cholinergic stimulation. Application of eserine to increase endogenous acetylcholine also showed that inhibitory muscarinic and excitatory nicotinic receptors together determine the net level of GG activity during cholinergic stimulation at the HMN. The results suggest that acetylcholine has mixed effects at the HMN with muscarinic-mediated GG suppression masking nicotinic excitation.

Pre- and postsynaptic modulation of glycinergic and gabaergic transmission by muscarinic receptors on rat hypoglossal motoneurons in vitro

The motor output of hypoglossal motoneurons to tongue muscles takes place in concert with the respiratory rhythm and is determined by the balance between excitatory glutamatergic transmission and inhibitory transmission mediated by glycine or GABA. The relative contribution by these transmitters is a phasic phenomenon modulated by other transmitters. We examined how metabotropic muscarinic receptors, widely expressed in the brainstem where they excite cranial motor nuclei, might influence synaptic activity mediated by GABA or glycine. For this purpose, using thin slices of the neonatal rat brainstem, we recorded (under whole-cell patch clamp) glycinergic or GABAergic responses from visually identified hypoglossal motoneurons after pharmacological block of glutamatergic transmission. Muscarine inhibited spontaneous and electrically induced events mediated by GABA or glycine. The amplitude of glycinergic miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents was slightly reduced by muscarine, while GABAergic miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents were unaffected. Motoneuron currents induced by focally applied GABA and glycine were depressed by muscarine with stronger reduction in glycine-mediated responses. Histochemical observations indicated the presence of M1, M2 and M5 subtypes of muscarinic receptors in the neonatal hypoglossal nucleus. These results suggest that muscarine potently depressed inhibitory neurotransmission on brainstem motoneurons, and that this action was exerted via preterminal and extrasynaptic receptors. Since the large reduction in inhibitory neurotransmission may contribute to overall excitation of brainstem motoneurons by muscarinic receptors, these data might help to understand the central components of action of antimuscarinic agents in preanesthetic medication or against motion sickness.

Pontine cholinergic mechanisms and their impact on respiratory regulation

Activation of pontomedullary cholinergic neurons may directly and indirectly cause depression of respiratory motoneuronal activity, activation of respiratory premotor neurons and acceleration of the respiratory rate during REM sleep, as well as activation of breathing during active wakefulness. These effects may be mediated by distinct subpopulations of cholinergic neurons. The relative inactivity of cholinergic neurons during slow-wave sleep also may contribute to the depressant effects of this state on breathing. Cholinergic muscarinic and nicotinic receptors are expressed in central respiratory neurons and motoneurons, thus allowing cholinergic neurons to act on the respiratory system directly. Additional effects of cholinergic activation are mediated indirectly by noradrenergic, serotonergic and other neurons of the reticular formation. Excitatory and suppressant respiratory effects with features of natural states of REM sleep or active wakefulness can be elicited in urethane-anesthetized rats by pontine microinjections of the cholinergic agonist, carbachol. Carbachol models help elucidate the neural basis of respiratory disorders associated with central cholinergic activation.

Increased ventilation and CO2 chemosensitivity in acetylcholinesterase knockout mice

To investigate the effects of a permanent excess of acetylcholine (AChE) on respiration, breathing and chemosensitivity were analyzed from birth to adulthood in mice lacking the AChE gene (AChE-/-), in heterozygotes, and in control wild-type (AChE+/+) littermates. Breathing at rest and ventilatory responses to brief exposures to hypoxia (10% O2) and hypercapnia (3-5% CO2) were measured by whole-body plethysmography. At rest AChE-/- mice show larger tidal volumes (VT, + 96% in adults), overall ventilation (VE, + 70%), and mean inspiratory flow (+270%) than wild-type mice, with no change in breathing frequency (fR). AChE-/- mice have a slightly blunted response to hypoxia, but increased VE and fR responses to hypercapnia. Heterozygous animals present no consistent alterations of breathing at rest and chemosensitivity is normal. Adult AChE-/- mice have an increased VE/VO2 and a marginally higher normalized VO2. The results suggest that the hyperventilation and altered chemosensitivity in AChE-/- mice largely reflect alterations of central respiratory control.

Hypocretin/orexin innervation and excitation of identified septohippocampal cholinergic neurons

Hypothalamic fibers containing the wake-promoting peptides, hypocretins (Hcrts) or orexins, provide a dense innervation to the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca (MSDB), a sleep-associated brain region that has been suggested to show intense axonal degeneration in canine narcoleptics. The MSDB, via its cholinergic and GABAergic projections to the hippocampus, controls the hippocampal theta rhythm and associated learning and memory functions. Neurons of the MSDB express very high levels of the Hcrt receptor 2, which is mutated in canine narcoleptics. In the present study, we investigated the electrophysiological effects of Hcrt peptides on septohippocampal cholinergic neurons that were identified in living brain slices of the MSDB using a selective fluorescent marker. Hcrt activation of septohippocampal cholinergic neurons was reversible, reproducible, and concentration dependent and mediated via a direct postsynaptic mechanism. Both Hcrt1 and Hcrt2 activated septohippocampal cholinergic neurons with similar EC(50) values. The Hcrt effect was dependent on external Na(+), reduced by external Ba(2+), and also reduced in recordings with CsCl-containing electrodes, suggesting a dual underlying ionic mechanism that involved inhibition of a K(+) current, presumably an inward rectifier, and a Na(+)-dependent component. The Na(+) component was dependent on internal Ca(2+), blocked by replacing external Na(+) with Li(+), and also blocked by bath-applied Ni(2+) and KB-R7943, suggesting involvement of the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger. Using double-immunolabeling studies at light and ultrastructural levels, we also provide definitive evidence for a hypocretin innervation of cholinergic neurons. Thus Hcrt effects within the septum should increase hippocampal acetylcholine release and thereby promote hippocampal arousal.

Ventilatory pattern and chemosensitivity in M1 and M3 muscarinic receptor knockout mice

Acetylcholine (ACh) acting through muscarinic receptors is thought to be involved in the control of breathing, notably in central and peripheral chemosensory afferents and in regulations related to sleep-wake states. By using whole-body plethysmography, we compared baseline breathing at rest and ventilatory responses to acute exposure (5 min) to moderate hypoxia (10% O(2)) and hypercapnia (3 and 5% CO(2)) in mice lacking either the M(1) or the M(3) muscarinic receptor, and in wild-type matched controls. M(1) knockout mice showed normal minute ventilation (V(E)) but elevated tidal volume (V(T)) at rest, and normal chemosensory ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia. M(3) knockout mice had elevated V(E) and V(T) at rest, a reduced V(T) response slope to hypercapnia, and blunted V(E) and frequency responses to hypoxia. The results suggest that M(1) and M(3) muscarinic receptors play significant roles in the regulation of tidal volume at rest and that the afferent pathway originating from peripheral chemoreceptors involves M(3) receptors.

Respiratory survival mechanisms in acetylcholinesterase knockout mouse

Cholinergic neurotransmission ensures muscle contraction and plays a role in the regulation of respiratory pattern in the brainstem. Inactivation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by organophosphates produces respiratory failure but AChE knockout mice survive to adulthood. Respiratory adaptation mechanisms which ensure survival of these mice were examined in vivo by whole body plethysmography and in vitro in the neonatal isolated brainstem preparation. AChE-/- mice presented no AChE activity but unaffected butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity. In vivo, bambuterol (50-500 microg/kg s.c.) decreased BChE activity peripherally but not in brain tissue and induced apnea and death in adult and neonate AChE-/- mice without affecting littermate AChE+/+ and +/- animals. In vitro, bath-applied bambuterol (1-100 microm) and tetraisopropylpyrophosphoramide (10-100 microm) decreased BChE activity in the brainstem but did not perturb central respiratory activity recorded from spinal nerve rootlets. In vitro, the cholinergic agonists muscarine (50-100 microm) and nicotine (0.5-10 microm) induced tonic activity in respiratory motoneurons and increased the frequency of inspiratory bursts in AChE+/+ and +/- animals. These effects were greatly attenuated in AChE-/- animals. The results suggest that, in mice lacking AChE, (i) BChE becomes essential for survival peripherally but plays no critical role in central rhythm-generating structures and (ii) a major adaptive mechanism for respiratory survival is the down-regulated response of central respiratory-related neurons and motoneurons to muscarinic and nicotinic agonists.

Effects of neuromuscular blocking agents on central respiratory control in the isolated brainstem–spinal cord of neonatal rat

Although neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) function as muscular nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonists, several studies have shown that they block neuronal nAChRs as well, which led us to hypothesize that these agents can affect neuronal nAChRs expressed in respiratory centers. To test this hypothesis, we studied the effects of two NMBAs on respiratory activity and respiratory neurons in brainstem-spinal cord preparations from neonatal rats. The application of either D-tubocurarine or vecuronium resulted in dose-dependent reductions in C4 respiratory rate. These reductions were concomitant with reductions in the depolarizing cycle rate of inspiratory (Insp) neurons; the depolarizing cycle rate of preinspiratory (Pre-I) neurons, however, was not affected. We also detected C4 burst activity during the depolarizing phase in Pre-I neurons, even during NMBA-induced respiratory depression. Both NMBAs inhibited drive potential amplitude and intraburst firing frequency in Insp and Pre-I neurons. These agents also induced a hyperpolarization and an increase in membrane resistance in Pre-I neurons, however they had no effect on these membrane properties in Insp neurons. Our findings indicate that these agents suppress central respiratory activity mainly through their inhibitory effects on Pre-I neurons and the Pre-I to Insp neuron synaptic drive, and that nAChRs are involved in central respiratory control.

Activation of muscarinic receptors in rat subfornical organ neurones

Cholinergic muscarinic inputs to subfornical organ (SFO) neurones in rats were studied using histochemical, molecular-biological and electrophysiological techniques. Neurones in the medial septum and the diagonal band (MS-DBB) were retrogradely labelled by a tracer wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase-colloidal gold complex injected into the SFO. Some in the MS-DBB were double-labelled by choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) antibody. Many ChAT-immunoreactive fibres were observed in the SFO. M3 muscarinic receptor subtype-like immunoreactivity, detected using a polyclonal antiserum, was observed in the SFO. In slice preparations, muscarine induced inward currents in a dose-related manner. The inward currents were suppressed by the relatively M3 muscarinic receptor selective antagonist 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiredine methiodide. In the whole-cell current mode, muscarine depolarized the membrane with increased frequency of action potentials. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed the presence of M2-M5 receptor mRNA in the SFO tissues. These results suggest that the SFO receives cholinergic muscarinic synaptic inputs from the MS-DBB. Acetylcholine postsynaptically activates and depolarizes neurones in the SFO partly through specific muscarinic receptors, including M3 receptor subtypes.

Respiratory pattern in a rat model of epilepsy

PURPOSE

Apnea is known to occur during seizures, but systematic studies of ictal respiratory changes in adults are few. Data regarding respiratory pattern defects during interictal periods also are scarce. Here we sought to generate information with regard to the interictal period in animals with pilocarpine-induced epilepsy.

METHODS

Twelve rats (six chronically epileptic animals and six controls) were anesthetized, given tracheotomies, and subjected to hyperventilation or hypoventilation conditions. Breathing movements caused changes in thoracic volume and forced air to flow tidally through a pneumotachograph. This flow was measured by using a differential pressure transducer, passed through a polygraph, and from this to a computer with custom software that derived ventilation (VE), tidal volume (VT), inspiratory time (TI), expiratory time (TE), breathing frequency (f), and mean inspiratory flow (VT/TI) on a breath-by-breath basis.

RESULTS

The hyperventilation maneuver caused a decrease in spontaneous ventilation in pilocarpine-treated and control rats. Although VE had a similar decrease in both groups, in the epileptic group, the decrease in VE was due to a significant (p < 0.05) increase in TE peak in relation to that of the control animals. The hypoventilation maneuver led to an increase in the arterial Paco2, followed by an increase in VE. In the epileptic group, the increase in VE was mediated by a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in TE peak compared with the control group. Systemic application of KCN, to evaluate the effects of peripheral chemoreception activation on ventilation, led to a similar increase in VE for both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The data indicate that pilocarpine-treated animals have an altered ability to react to (or compensate for) blood gas changes with changes in ventilation and suggest that it is centrally determined. We speculate on the possible relation of the current findings on treating different epilepsy-associated conditions.

Modulation of AMPA receptors by cAMP-dependent protein kinase in preBötzinger complex inspiratory neurons regulates respiratory rhythm in the rat

We hypothesize that phosphorylation of AMPA receptors or associated synaptic proteins modulates the excitability of respiratory neurons in the preBötzinger Complex (preBötC), affecting respiratory rhythm. Using neonatal rat medullary slices that spontaneously generate respiratory rhythm, we examined the role of the cAMP-PKA pathway (PKA: cAMP-dependent protein kinase) in modulating glutamatergic synaptic transmission, the excitability of inspiratory neurons in the preBötC and respiratory rhythm. Microinjection of forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, into the preBötC with or without the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), decreased the period (increased the frequency) of respiratory-related rhythmic motor output in the hypoglossal nerve (XIIn) to 84 % (without IBMX) and to 72 % (with IBMX) of the pre-injection baseline. In the presence of MK-801, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, microinjection of forskolin plus IBMX decreased the period to 66 % of baseline levels. Microinjection of Rp-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphothioate (Rp-cAMPS), a PKA inhibitor, increased the period to 145 % of baseline levels. Concurrent microinjection of Rp-cAMPS and forskolin had no effect on the period. Bath application of 7beta-deacetyl-7beta-[gamma-(morpholino)butyryl]-forskolin hydrochloride (7Db-forskolin, a water-soluble derivative of forskolin): (1) decreased the period to 67 % of baseline levels without affecting the amplitude of integrated XIIn inspiratory discharge, (2) induced a tonic inward current of 29 pA and enhanced inspiratory drive current (the amplitude increased to 183 % and the integral increased to 184 % of baseline) in voltage-clamped (holding potential = -60 mV) preBötC inspiratory neurons and (3) increased the frequency to 195 % and amplitude to 118 % of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) during expiratory periods. Dideoxy-forskolin did not have these effects. Intracellular perfusion with the catalytic subunit of PKA (cPKA) into preBötC inspiratory neurons progressively enhanced inspiratory drive currents and, in the presence of TTX, increased the inward currents induced by local ejection of AMPA; the latter currents were blocked by 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-nitro-2,3-dioxo-benzo[f]quinoxaline-7-sulphonamide (NBQX, an AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist). The effects of cPKA were blocked by co-application of PKA inhibitor (6-22) amide (PKI). These results suggest that phosphorylation of postsynaptic AMPA receptors through the cAMP-PKA pathway modulates both tonic and phasic excitatory amino acid synaptic transmission and excitability of inspiratory neurons in the preBötC and, therefore, regulates respiratory rhythm. Moreover, the basal level of endogenous PKA activity appears to be a determinant of resting respiratory frequency.

Genesis and control of the respiratory rhythm in adult mammals

The neural mechanisms responsible for respiratory rhythmogenesis in mammals were studied first in vivo in adults and subsequently in vitro in neonates. In vitro data have suggested that the pacemaker neurons are the kernel of the respiratory network. These data are reviewed, and their relevance to adults is discussed.

Maturation of respiratory control in the behaving mammal

Whereas in vitro techniques have contributed greatly to our understanding of detailed neuronal mechanisms of respiratory control, the integrated function of respiratory behavior requires studying conscious, unsedated subjects. Noninvasive approaches, meticulous chronic instrumentation for the recording of multiple respiratory indices, and correlations with brain studies performed after physiological manipulations in vivo can all be employed to get to some understanding of the maturation of respiratory control in the mammal. This article is a selective and critical overview of recent literature on methodologies that can be used in behaving subjects, the relationship of respiration to sleep-wake states, respiratory patterns during normoxia, and on respiratory responsiveness to hypercarbia and hypoxia, all emphasizing processes during development. It is hoped that this review will encourage new investigators interested in the regulation of breathing to resort to experimental approaches that will reveal the mysteries of respiratory behavior in the integrated organism.

Contribution of cholinergic systems to state-dependent modulation of respiratory control

Respiration is altered during different stages of the sleep-wake cycle. We review the contribution of cholinergic systems to this alteration, with particular reference to the role of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (MAchRs) during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Available evidence demonstrates that MAchRs have potent excitatory effects on medullary respiratory neurones and respiratory motoneurones, and are likely to contribute to changes in central chemosensitive drive to the respiratory control system. These effects are likely to be most prominent during REM sleep, when cholinergic brainstem neurones show peak activity levels. It is possible that MAchR dysfunction is involved in sleep-disordered breathing, such as obstructive sleep apnea.

Neurochemical perspectives on the control of breathing during sleep

A specific depression of minute ventilation occurs during sleep in normal subjects. This sleep-related ventilatory depression is partially related to mechanical events and upper airway atonia but some data also indicate that it is likely to be centrally mediated. This paper reviews the anatomical and neurochemical connections between sleep/wake- and respiratory-related areas in an attempt to identify the potential implication of sleep-related neurochemicals (serotonin, catecholamines, GABA, acetylcholine) in the sleep-related hypoventilation. The review of available data suggests that the sleep-related ventilatory depression depends upon the enhanced GABAergic activity together with a loss of suprapontine influence depending on the cessation of activity of the reticular formation. During REM sleep, an additional inhibitory activity emerges from the pontine cholinergic neurons, which contributes to the breathing irregularities and the associated depression of minute ventilation and ventilatory response to chemical stimuli. This model may contribute to a better understanding of the neurochemical environment of respiratory neurons during sleep, which remains a question of importance regarding the numerous pathological states that are linked to specific perturbations of breathing control during sleep.

Prenatal nicotine exposure increases apnoea and reduces nicotinic potentiation of hypoglossal inspiratory output in mice

We examined the effects of in utero nicotine exposure on postnatal development of breathing pattern and ventilatory responses to hypoxia (7.4 % O2) using whole-body plethysmography in mice at postnatal day 0 (P0), P3, P9, P19 and P42. Nicotine delayed early postnatal changes in breathing pattern. During normoxia, control and nicotine-exposed P0 mice exhibited a high frequency of apnoea (f(A)) which declined by P3 in control animals (from 6.7 +/- 0.7 to 2.2 +/- 0.7 min(-1)) but persisted in P3 nicotine-exposed animals (5.4 +/- 1.3 min(-1)). Hypoxia induced a rapid and sustained reduction in f(A) except in P0 nicotine-exposed animals where it fell initially and then increased throughout the hypoxic period. During recovery, f(A) increased above control levels in both groups at P0. By P3 this increase was reduced in control but persisted in nicotine-exposed animals. To examine the origin of differences in respiratory behaviour, we compared the activity of hypoglossal (XII) nerves and motoneurons in medullary slice preparations. The frequency and variability of the respiratory rhythm and the envelope of inspiratory activity in XII nerves and motoneurons were indistinguishable between control and nicotine-exposed animals. Activation of postsynaptic nicotine receptors caused an inward current in XII motoneurons that potentiated XII nerve burst amplitude by 25 +/- 5 % in control but only 14 +/- 3 % in nicotine-exposed animals. Increased apnoea following nicotine exposure does not appear to reflect changes in basal activity of rhythm or pattern-generating networks, but may result, in part, from reduced nicotinic modulation of XII motoneurons.

RT-PCR reveals muscarinic acetylcholine receptor mRNA in the pre-Bötzinger complex

Muscarinic receptors mediate the postsynaptic excitatory effects of acetylcholine (ACh) on inspiratory neurons in the pre-Bötzinger complex (pre-BötC), the hypothesized site for respiratory rhythm generation. Because pharmacological tools for identifying the subtypes of the muscarinic receptors that underlie these effects are limited, we probed for mRNA for these receptors in the pre-BötC. We used RT-PCR to determine the expression of muscarinic receptor subtypes in tissue punches of the pre-BötC taken from rat medullary slices. Cholinergic receptor subtype M(2) and M(3) mRNAs were observed in the first round of PCR amplification. All five subtypes, M(1)-M(5), were observed in the second round of amplification. Our results suggest that the majority of muscarinic receptor subtypes in the pre-BötC are M(2) and M(3), with minor expression of M(1), M(4), and M(5).

Mechanisms underlying regulation of respiratory pattern by nicotine in preBötzinger complex

Cholinergic neurotransmission plays a role in regulation of respiratory pattern. Nicotine from cigarette smoke affects respiration and is a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sleep-disordered breathing. The cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying this regulation are not understood. Using a medullary slice preparation from neonatal rat that contains the preBötzinger Complex (preBötC), the hypothesized site for respiratory rhythm generation, and generates respiratory-related rhythm in vitro, we examined the effects of nicotine on excitatory neurotransmission affecting inspiratory neurons in preBötC and on the respiratory-related motor activity from hypoglossal nerve (XIIn). Microinjection of nicotine into preBötC increased respiratory frequency and decreased the amplitude of inspiratory bursts, whereas when injected into XII nucleus induced a tonic activity and an increase in amplitude but not in frequency of inspiratory bursts from XIIn. Bath application of nicotine (0.2--0.5 microM, approximately the arterial blood nicotine concentration immediately after smoking a cigarette) increased respiratory frequency up to 280% of control in a concentration-dependent manner. Nicotine decreased the amplitude to 82% and increased the duration to 124% of XIIn inspiratory bursts. In voltage-clamped preBötC inspiratory neurons (including neurons with pacemaker properties), nicotine induced a tonic inward current of -19.4 +/- 13.4 pA associated with an increase in baseline noise. Spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) present during the expiratory period increased in frequency to 176% and in amplitude to 117% of control values; the phasic inspiratory drive inward currents decreased in amplitude to 66% and in duration to 89% of control values. The effects of nicotine were blocked by mecamylamine (Meca). The inspiratory drive current and sEPSCs were completely eliminated by 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) in the presence or absence of nicotine. In the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), low concentrations of nicotine did not induce any tonic current or any increase in baseline noise, nor affect the input resistance in inspiratory neurons. In this study, we demonstrated that nicotine increased respiratory frequency and regulated respiratory pattern by modulating the excitatory neurotransmission in preBötC. Activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) enhanced the tonic excitatory synaptic input to inspiratory neurons including pacemaker neurons and at the same time, inhibited the phasic excitatory coupling between these neurons. These mechanisms may account for the cholinergic regulation of respiratory frequency and pattern.

Effects of neuroactive substances on the morphine-induced respiratory depression; an in vitro study

Effects of different neuroactive substances on morphine-induced respiratory depression were studied in medullary respiration-related structures using in vitro brainstem-spinal cord preparation from 1 to 4-day-old rats. Application of morphine (10 microM) reduced respiratory rhythm (fR) as measured by C4 ventral root activity. The depressant effects of morphine were reversed by acetylcholine (10 microM), substance P (50 nM), thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) (100 nM) and forskolin (10 microM). The adenosine receptor antagonist, theophylline (100 microM), the dopamine receptors antagonist, haloperidol (10 microM), the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin (10 microM) and the phospholipase A(2) inhibitor, quinacrine (10 microM) had no effect on morphine-induced respiratory depression.