Caudal ventrolateral medulla. A region responsible for the mediation of vasopressin-induced pressor responses

Glucose sensing by GABAergic neurons in the mouse nucleus tractus solitarii

Changes in blood glucose concentration alter autonomic function in a manner consistent with altered neural activity in brain regions controlling digestive processes, including neurons in the brain stem nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS), which process viscerosensory information. With whole cell or on-cell patch-clamp recordings, responses to elevating glucose concentration from 2.5 to 15 mM were assessed in identified GABAergic NTS neurons in slices from transgenic mice that express EGFP in a subset of GABA neurons. Single-cell real-time RT-PCR was also performed to detect glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) in recorded neurons. In most identified GABA neurons (73%), elevating glucose concentration from 2.5 to 15 mM resulted in either increased (40%) or decreased (33%) neuronal excitability, reflected by altered membrane potential and/or action potential firing. Effects on membrane potential were maintained when action potentials or fast synaptic inputs were blocked, suggesting direct glucose sensing by GABA neurons. Glucose-inhibited GABA neurons were found predominantly in the lateral NTS, whereas glucose-excited cells were mainly in the medial NTS, suggesting regional segregation of responses. Responses were prevented in the presence of glucosamine, a glucokinase (GCK) inhibitor. Depolarizing responses were prevented when KATP channel activity was blocked with tolbutamide. Whereas effects on synaptic input to identified GABAergic neurons were variable in GABA neurons, elevating glucose increased glutamate release subsequent to stimulation of tractus solitarius in unlabeled, unidentified neurons. These results indicate that GABAergic NTS neurons act as GCK-dependent glucose sensors in the vagal complex, providing a means of modulating central autonomic signals when glucose is elevated.

Role of the solitary tract nucleus and caudal ventrolateral medulla in temperature responses in endotoxemic rats

In experiments on conscious rats it was found that preliminary microinjection of 100 nl 100 microM glutamic acid to the rostral commissural part of the solitary tract nucleus or to the caudal ventrolateral medulla increased a rise in colonic temperature induced by systemically applied endotoxin (3 microg/kg Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide, i.p.) as compared to animals with intrabulbar injection of vehicle (control group). Preliminary microinjection of glutamate to the caudal commissural part of the solitary tract nucleus levelled the endotoxin-induced temperature response. After glutamate treatment of the caudal ventrolateral medulla there was a significant decrease in the noradrenaline content and decrease in the adrenaline level in the caudal (not significant) and rostral ventrolateral medulla (significant), as well as a small rise in noradrenergic activity at the solitary tract nucleus as compared to control animals. The post-mortem measurement of the optical density of brainstem tissues revealed its significant attenuation at the solitary tract nucleus and caudal ventrolateral medulla after glutamate as compared with these structures after vehicle. The involvement of monoaminergic systems of both structures under study in the initiation and control of temperature responses during endotoxemia is suggested.

Are the capsaicin-sensitive structures of ventral medulla involved in the temperature response to endotoxin in rats?

In chronic experiments on rats pretreated with bilateral microinjection of 25 nl 1% capsaicin to the caudal ventrolateral medulla under ketamine-xylazine-acepromazine anesthesia, an enhancement of the temperature response to intraperitoneal application of 3 microg/kg E. coli lipopolysaccharide as compared to animals who received vehicle to the caudal ventrolateral medulla was found. This is indicative of the involvement of the capsaicin-sensitive bulbar structures in thermoregulatory processes during endotoxemia.

Excitatory amino acid receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla mediate hypertension induced by carotid body chemoreceptor stimulation

The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) is involved in the mediation of cardiovascular responses to peripheral chemoreceptor stimulation. To investigate whether excitatory amino acid inputs in the RVLM are related to the responses to chemoreceptor stimulation, we microinjected kynurenate, an amino acid antagonist, unilaterally into the RVLM and examined its effects on the pressor response to stimulation of carotid body chemoreceptors. Male Wistar rats were anesthetized with urethane, paralyzed and artificially ventilated. The carotid chemoreceptors were stimulated with isotonic solutions of inorganic phosphate solution. Stimulation of carotid body chemoreceptors produced increases in blood pressure. Kynurenate injected ipsilaterally but not contralaterally into the RVLM markedly inhibited the pressor response to chemoreceptor stimulation. In rats with spinal transection, stimulation of carotid body chemoreceptors also produced increases in blood pressure. The pressor response in rats with spinal transection was inhibited by intravenous injection of a vasopressin antagonist or by kynurenate injected ipsilaterally into the RVLM. Kynurenate injected into the RVLM inhibited the pressor response to NMDA, AMPA and kainate but not to acetylcholine in intact rats. These findings indicate that excitatory amino acid receptors are involved in mediating the pressor response to carotid body chemoreceptor stimulation in the rat RVLM. It appears that the chemoreceptor stimulation produces an increase in vasopressin release and the enhancement of vasopressin release is also mediated by an increase in excitatory amino acid inputs in the RVLM.

Stimulation of catecholaminergic neurons in the ventral medulla by various stressors monitored with in vivo electrochemistry

Catecholaminergic metabolism in the A1 cell group of the ventrolateral medulla oblongata was followed after application of 3 interoceptive stressful stimuli by monitoring the extracellular concentration of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) with an in vivo voltammetric approach. These stimuli provoked an increase of the DOPAC signal with different time course and amplitude. Histamine led to a maximal 200% increase that vanished within two hours. Insulin induced a long-lasting increase of up to 350% that could be reversed by glucose infusion. Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve triggered an immediate increase of up to 140% which stopped with the ending of the stimulation. The time-course of this activation is compatible with a possible involvement of catecholaminergic afferents from the A1 group projecting to the paraventricular nucleus in the stimulation of the hypothalamic neurosecretory cells elicited by the stressors.

Vasopressin Release Following Microinjection of Angiotensin II into the Caudal Ventrolateral Medulla Oblongata in the Anaesthetized Rabbit

Abstract Stimulation of the caudal ventrolateral medulla in rats and rabbits elicits secretion of vasopressin from the neurohypophysis. Inhibition of the area attenuates baroreceptor-initiated vasopressin secretion. Angiotensin II receptor binding sites and angiotensin-like immunoreactive nerve terminals are localized in the caudal ventrolateral medulla, in the region of the A1 noradrenaline-synthesizing neurons. To examine the possible functional role of angiotensin II in this region, we have microinjected angiotensin II into the A1 area in the urethane-anaesthetized rabbit. Microinjection of angiotensin II (0.1 to 100 pmol in 100 nl) stimulated vasopressin secretion (plasma vasopressin concentration increased from 24 +/- 8 pg/ml to 104 +/- 8 pg/ml following microinjection of 10 pmol angiotensin II) and produced a depressor response with bradycardia. The responsive area was confined to the region of the A1 cell group. AII responses were blocked by prior intramedullary injection of an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, [Sar(1), Thr(8)] angiotensin II (2 nmol in 200 nl), which had no effect on the response to the excitatory amino-acid N-methyl-D-aspartate. Following spinal blockade of efferent sympathetic activity, microinjections of angiotensin II into the caudal ventrolateral medulla caused a similar increase in plasma vasopressin concentration without a depressor response, demonstrating that the stimulation of vasopressin release by angiotensin II was not secondary to hypotension. Microinjection of [Sar(1), Thr(8)] angiotensin II dramatically attenuated the normal secretion of vasopressin in response to systemic haemorrhage. Following injection of vehicle into the caudal ventrolateral medulla, haemorrhage stimulated an increase in plasma vasopressin concentration from 3 +/- 1 pg/ml to 335 +/- 75 pg/ ml (n = 5). After microinjection of [Sar(1), Thr(8)] angiotensin II the haemorrhage-induced change in vasopressin concentration was only 17 +/- 6 pg/ml to 35 +/- 7 pg/ml (n = 4). Microinjection of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, DL-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (5 nmol, n = 4), did not alter the secretion of vasopressin in response to haemorrhage. These results in the anaesthetized rabbit suggest that angiotensin II in the caudal ventrolateral medulla may have a physiological role in baroreceptor control of vasopressin release.

Increase in the blood pressure and decrease in the norepinephrine release in the ventrolateral medulla during intraventricular administration of hypertonic NaCl

Norepinephrine (NE) release in the ventrolateral medulla (VLM) was serially measured in anesthetized male Wistar rats during the rise in the blood pressure (BP) produced by acute intraventricular (ICV) administration of hypertonic (1.5 M) NaCl. Catecholamine release was determined by a brain microdialysis method using high performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detector. The release of NE in the VLM was significantly decreased after ICV 1.5 M NaCl. In another set of rats, the pressor response to acute ICV 1.5 M NaCl was attenuated by selective administration of NE to the VLM using the microdialysis method. Chronic and continuous ICV infusion of 1.5 M NaCl to conscious rats caused an increase in BP on day 10 which was associated with a decrease in NE release in the VLM; concomitant ICV infusion of NE or of a synthetic NE precursor, L-threo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine (L-DOPS) prevented the rise in BP as well as the reduction in NE release. These results suggest that a decrease in the NE release of the VLM may contribute to the change in BP induced by ICV infusion of hypertonic saline.

Control of neurosecretory vasopressin cells by noradrenergic projections of the caudal ventrolateral medulla

Activation of noradrenergic afferents arising from the A1 cell group of the caudal VLM excites neurosecretory AVP cells of both the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, thus stimulating the release of this potent vasoconstrictor into the circulation. Although this effect is mimicked by application of alpha 1-adrenoreceptor agonists to AVP cells, the excitatory effects of A1 afferents may not be mediated by activation of post-synaptic alpha 1-receptors. Evidence has also been obtained that the actions of A1 afferents are not dependent upon the release of excitatory amino acids or NPY, although the latter is co-stored with NA in A1 cells and potentiates the actions of low concentrations of NA on AVP cells. Although a projection to AVP and OXY neurosecretory cells from the A2 NA cell group of the NTS has been established, this projection does not appear to contribute directly to the control of SON AVP cell activity. Rather, NTS stimulation excites SON AVP cells via a relay projection through the A1 cell group. This pathway is likely to correspond to that involved in the stimulatory effects of haemorrhage and caval constriction on AVP secretion, although it is uncertain whether the effects of these particular stimuli are contingent upon unloading of arterial baroreceptors and atrial stretch receptors, as commonly presumed, or upon the activation of other receptors such as ventricular mechanoreceptors or chemoreceptors. On balance, current evidence suggests that the A1 projection is unlikely to be critically involved in mediating the effects of arterial baroreceptor, arterial chemoreceptor, or atrial stretch receptor activation on AVP cells.

Antinociception vs motor effects of intrathecal vasopressin as measured by four pain tests

The effects of intrathecal (i.t.) vasopressin (VP) on nociception were quantitatively tested in rats using 4 pain tests: tail flick, tail shock vocalization, hot plate, and formalin. In addition, motor effects of VP were examined qualitatively. I.t. VP produced a prolonged antinociception lasting at least 40 min on the tail flick (2.5 and 25 ng) and formalin (25 ng) tests, and a brief antinociception lasting less than 20 min on the tail shock (25 ng) and hot plate (25 ng) tests. Those rats not responding to the pain tests showed no signs of perceiving the pain stimulus, such as orientation to the stimulus or vocalization. In addition, i.t. VP produced scratching bouts (2.5 and 25 ng) and suppressed hindbody motor function (25 ng). The motor inhibitory effects of VP, although severe in some rats, were brief, lasting less than 15 min. In conclusion, i.t. VP produces antinociception in addition to its motor effects, and these properties appear to be due to separate mechanisms.

Pressor responses evoked by microinjections of L-glutamate into the caudal ventrolateral medulla of the rat

The caudal medulla of the rat was mapped for cardiovascular sensitive regions by recording changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate evoked by microinjections of L-glutamate (1 nmol/50 nl). Using this technique to selectively activate cell soma in the brainstem, a new pressor area in the caudal ventrolateral medulla has been identified. Several sites located approximately 1-1.5 mm posterior to the caudal medullary depressor zone were found where L-glutamate evoked pressor responses of 10-45 mm Hg. The most responsive area was located just dorsal to the lateral aspect of the lateral reticular nucleus at the level of the pyramidal decussation and the caudalmost pole of the inferior olives. Pressor responses at this site averaged 37 +/- 2 mm Hg. Changes in heart rate were inconsistent and both tachycardia and bradycardia were observed. Increases in arterial pressure elicited from the caudal pressor area (CPA) were abolished by ganglionic blockade. Pressor responses evoked from the CPA were also eliminated after functional inactivation of vasopressor neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVM) was produced by microinjections of muscimol. Inhibition of CPA neurons by microinjections of GABA had no effect on MAP while GABA markedly reduced MAP when injected into the RVM. These studies demonstrate that a circumscribed region of the caudal ventrolateral medulla contains a population of 'vasopressor' neurons distinct from those located in the rostral medulla. No evidence was obtained to suggest that neural activity in the CPA contributes to the maintenance of arterial pressure. The precise functional role of the CPA in central cardiovascular regulation remains to be determined.

Anatomical specificity of noradrenergic inputs to the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the rat hypothalamus

The distribution of neural inputs to the paraventricular (PVH) and supraoptic (SO) nuclei from the regions of the A1, the A2, and the A6 (locus coeruleus) noradrenergic cell groups was investigated by using a plant lectin, Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L), as an anterogradely transported tracer. An immunofluorescence double-labeling procedure was used to determine the extent to which individual anterogradely labeled fibers and terminals in the PVH and the SO also displayed immunoreactive dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH), a marker for catecholaminergic neurons. The results may be summarized as follows: (1) Projections from the A1 region were found primarily, and in some experiments almost exclusively, in those parts of the magnocellular division of the PVH and the SO known to contain vasopressinergic neurons. (2) Projections from the A2 region were distributed primarily throughout the parvicellular division of the PVH and were most dense in the dorsal medial part, a region known to contain a prominent population of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-immunoreactive neurons. In addition, a less-dense projection to the magnocellular division of the PVH and to the SO was consistently found. (3) Fibers originating from the locus coeruleus were distributed almost exclusively to the parvicellular division of the PVH, with the most prominent input localized to the periventricular zone, a part of the PVH known to contain dopamine-, somatostatin-, and thyrotropin-releasing-hormone-containing neurons. We found no evidence for a projection from A6 to the SO. (4) The majority of fibers originating from the A1, the A2 or the A6 regions contained DBH immunoreactivity, although an appreciable number did not. These results suggest that each of the three brainstem noradrenergic cell groups that contribute to the innervation of the PVH and/or the SO is in a position to modulate the activity of anatomically and chemically distinct groups of neurosecretory neurons.

Function of the ventrolateral medulla in the control of the circulation

The CNS control of the cardiovascular system involves the coordination of a series of complex neural mechanisms which integrate afferent information from a variety of peripheral receptors and produce control signals to effector organs for appropriate physiological responses. Although it is generally thought that these control signals are generated by a network of neural circuits that are widely distributed in the CNS, over the last two decades a considerable body of experimental evidence has accumulated suggesting that several of these circuits involve neurons found on or near the ventral surface of the medulla oblongata. Neurons in the VLM have been shown to be involved in the maintenance of vasomotor tone, in baroreceptor and chemoreceptor (central and peripheral) reflex mechanisms, in mediating the CIR and somatosympathetic reflexes and in the control of the secretion of vasopressin. These physiological functions of VLM neurons have been supported by neuroanatomical and electrophysiological studies demonstrating direct connections with a number of central structures previously implicated in the control of the circulation, including the IML, the site of origin of sympathetic preganglionic axons, and the SON and PVH, the site of origin of neurohypophyseal projecting axons containing AVP. Considerable suggestive evidence has also been obtained regarding the chemical messengers involved in transmitting information from VLM neurons to other central structures. There have been developments suggesting a role for monoamines and neuropeptides in mediating the neural and humoral control of SAP by neurons in the VLM. This review presents a synthesis of the literature suggesting a main role for VLM neurons in the control of the circulation.

Endogenous vasopressin and baroreflex mechanisms

This article reviews the anatomical and functional evidence for ascending pathways from specific brain regions to the PVN and SON which could influence AVP release. The majority of evidence favours the main projection being from a region in the caudal VLM which may coincide with the noradrenergic neurons of the A1 cell group. However, the transmitter(s) involved have yet to be identified, and whether the pathway is excitatory and/or inhibitory remains to be fully resolved. Anatomical and functional evidence is reviewed for descending projections from the SON and PVN to specific brain regions involved in cardiovascular control, and their possible involvement in baroreflex mechanisms is discussed. However, there is little unequivocal evidence that AVP is the main neurotransmitter utilized by descending projections from PVN to NTS and DMX. While, in some situations, circulating endogenous AVP exerts cardiovascular effects, details of its putative influences on baroreflex mechanisms are lacking.

Vasopressin-induced pressor responses in rats to bilateral electrolytic lesioning of the caudal portion of the nucleus tractus solitarii

Bilateral electrolytic lesioning of the nucleus tractus solitarii elicited a pressor response in rats with spinal transection. This response was abolished by a vasopressin pressor antagonist and plasma vasopressin was increased during the response. This evidence suggests that the nucleus tractus solitarii is involved in inhibiting vasopressin release and that an impaired function would lead to an enhancement of vasopressin release, to the extent of eliciting a pressor response.