Thermosensitive neurons in slice preparations of rat medulla oblongata

Temperature modulates PVN pre-sympathetic neurones via transient receptor potential ion channels

The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus plays a vital role in maintaining homeostasis and modulates cardiovascular function via autonomic pre-sympathetic neurones. We have previously shown that coupling between transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V Member 4 (Trpv4) and small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (SK) in the PVN facilitate osmosensing, but since TRP channels are also thermosensitive, in this report we investigated the temperature sensitivity of these neurones. Methods: TRP channel mRNA was quantified from mouse PVN with RT-PCR and thermosensitivity of Trpv4-like PVN neuronal ion channels characterised with cell-attached patch-clamp electrophysiology. Following recovery of temperature-sensitive single-channel kinetic schema, we constructed a predictive stochastic mathematical model of these neurones and validated this with electrophysiological recordings of action current frequency. Results: 7 thermosensitive TRP channel genes were found in PVN punches. Trpv4 was the most abundant of these and was identified at the single channel level on PVN neurones. We investigated the thermosensitivity of these Trpv4-like channels; open probability (Po) markedly decreased when temperature was decreased, mediated by a decrease in mean open dwell times. Our neuronal model predicted that PVN spontaneous action current frequency (ACf) would increase as temperature is decreased and in our electrophysiological experiments, we found that ACf from PVN neurones was significantly higher at lower temperatures. The broad-spectrum channel blocker gadolinium (100 µM), was used to block the warm-activated, Ca2+-permeable Trpv4 channels. In the presence of gadolinium (100 µM), the temperature effect was largely retained. Using econazole (10 µM), a blocker of Trpm2, we found there were significant increases in overall ACf and the temperature effect was inhibited. Conclusion: Trpv4, the abundantly transcribed thermosensitive TRP channel gene in the PVN appears to contribute to intrinsic thermosensitive properties of PVN neurones. At physiological temperatures (37°C), we observed relatively low ACf primarily due to the activity of Trpm2 channels, whereas at room temperature, where most of the previous characterisation of PVN neuronal activity has been performed, ACf is much higher, and appears to be predominately due to reduced Trpv4 activity. This work gives insight into the fundamental mechanisms by which the body decodes temperature signals and maintains homeostasis.

Thermoregulation and Sleep: Functional Interaction and Central Nervous Control

Each of the wake-sleep states is characterized by specific changes in autonomic activity and bodily functions. The goal of such changes is not always clear. During non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, the autonomic outflow and the activity of the endocrine system, the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, and the thermoregulatory system seem to be directed at increasing energy saving. During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the goal of the specific autonomic and regulatory changes is unclear, since a large instability of autonomic activity and cardiorespiratory function is observed in concomitance with thermoregulatory changes, which are apparently non-functional to thermal homeostasis. Reciprocally, the activation of thermoregulatory responses under thermal challenges interferes with sleep occurrence. Such a double-edged and reciprocal interaction between sleep and thermoregulation may be favored by the fact that the central network controlling sleep overlaps in several parts with the central network controlling thermoregulation. The understanding of the central mechanism behind the interaction between sleep and thermoregulation may help to understand the functionality of thermoregulatory sleep-related changes and, ultimately, the function(s) of sleep. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 11:1591-1604, 2021.

The Central Control of Energy Expenditure: Exploiting Torpor for Medical Applications

Autonomic thermoregulation is a recently acquired function, as it appears for the first time in mammals and provides the brain with the ability to control energy expenditure. The importance of such control can easily be highlighted by the ability of a heterogeneous group of mammals to actively reduce metabolic rate and enter a condition of regulated hypometabolism known as torpor. The central neural circuits of thermoregulatory cold defense have been recently unraveled and could in theory be exploited to reduce energy expenditure in species that do not normally use torpor, inducing a state called synthetic torpor. This approach may represent the first steps toward the development of a technology to induce a safe and reversible state of hypometabolism in humans, unlocking many applications ranging from new medical procedures to deep space travel.

The contribution of the intrinsic excitability of vestibular nucleus neurons to recovery from vestibular damage

Damage to the peripheral vestibular system results in a syndrome of ocular motor and postural abnormalities that partially and gradually abate over time in a process known as 'vestibular compensation'. The first, rapid, phase of compensation has been associated with a recovery of spontaneous resting activity in the ipsilateral vestibular nucleus complex (VNC), as a consequence of neuronal and synaptic plasticity. Increasing evidence suggests that normal VNC neurons in labyrinthine-intact animals, as well as ipsilateral VNC neurons following unilateral vestibular deafferentation (UVD), rely to some extent on intrinsic pacemaker activity provided by voltage-dependent conductances for their resting activity. Modification of this intrinsic pacemaker activity may underlie the recovery of resting activity that occurs in ipsilateral VNC neurons following UVD. This review summarizes and critically evaluates the 'intrinsic mechanism hypothesis', identifying discrepancies amongst the current evidence and suggesting experiments that may test it further.

Effects of midbrain and spinal cord transections on sympathetic nerve responses to heating

In the present study, we investigated the contributions of forebrain, brain stem, and spinal neural circuits to heating-induced sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) responses in chloralose-anesthetized rats. Frequency characteristics of renal and splenic SND bursts and the level of activity in these nerves were determined in midbrain-transected (superior colliculus), spinal cord-transected [first cervical vertebra (C1)], and sham-transected (midbrain and spinal cord) rats during progressive increases in colonic temperature (T(c)) from 38 to 41.6-41.7 degrees C. The following observations were made. 1) Significant increases in renal and splenic SND were observed during hyperthermia in midbrain-transected, sham midbrain-transected, C1-transected, and sham C1-transected rats. 2) Heating changed the discharge pattern of renal and splenic SND bursts and was associated with prominent coupling between renal-splenic discharge bursts in midbrain-transected, sham midbrain-transected, and sham C1-transected rats. 3) The pattern of renal and splenic SND bursts remained unchanged from posttransection recovery levels during heating in C1-transected rats. We conclude that an intact forebrain is not required for the full expression of SND responses to increased T(c) and that spinal neural systems, in the absence of supraspinal circuits, are unable to markedly alter the frequency characteristics of SND in response to acute heat stress.

A minimal model to account for the response of N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors expressed in Xenopus oocyte injected with rat brain mRNA

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors were expressed in Xenopus oocytes by injecting rat brain mRNA. NMDA-elicited responses in the oocytes were measured by the voltage-clamping method. The following measurements were made in the presence of 50 microM glycine (Gly) to establish the relationship between the NMDA concentration and the current: (1) the NMDA-induced membrane current before desensitization; (2) the NMDA-induced membrane current after desensitization equilibrium; (3) the fraction of the active form of the receptor after desensitization equilibrium in the presence and absence of 50 microM Gly; (4) the rate of the recovery of desensitized receptors upon removal of NMDA. Gly was essential for not only the activation of NMDA receptors but also their desensitization. These results were analyzed on the basis of a minimal model where one agonist and one Gly binding site were assumed. The equilibrium and rate constants of the model were evaluated for NMDA in the presence of saturating amounts of Gly. This model will be useful for systematically explaining the complicated responses of NMDA receptors.

Tonic activity of rat medial vestibular nucleus neurones in vitro and its inhibition by GABA

The spontaneous discharge of 48 medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurones was recorded extracellularly in horizontal slices of the rat brainstem in vitro. The mean tonic rate of discharge was 17.1 +/- 8.2 imp/s, similar to that observed by others in transverse (coronal) slices of the rat and guinea pig MVN. The tonic rate of discharge of individual MVN cells either increased or decreased after synaptic blockade in low Ca2+ media, suggesting that ongoing synaptic activity has an important influence on the spontaneous activity of MVN cells in vitro. However the persistence of tonic activity after synaptic blockade indicates that an intrinsic, pacemaker-like mechanism is involved in the generation of the tonic activity. GABA, muscimol, baclofen and 3-APA inhibited the tonic activity of all MVN cells tested. Bicuculline antagonised, and picrotoxin blocked, the inhibitory responses to muscimol, but the effects of GABA were only partially blocked in 50 microM picrotoxin. The effects of baclofen and 3-APA persisted in low Ca2+ media, and were antagonised by saclofen and phaclofen. Picrotoxin-resistant responses to GABA persisted in low Ca2+ media, and were also antagonised by saclofen. These results suggest that the inhibitory control of MVN neurones by GABA involves both the GABAA and GABAB subtypes of GABA receptor. GABAB receptors appear to be distributed both pre- and post-synaptically in the rat MVN. The possible significance of the intrinsic, tonic activity of MVN cells in normal vestibular function and in vestibular compensation, and the effects of GABA, are discussed.

Neuronal activity in the guinea pig medial vestibular nucleus in vitro following chronic unilateral labyrinthectomy

Unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL) causes ocular motor and postural disorders which disappear over time in a process of recovery known as vestibular compensation. Vestibular compensation is due to CNS plasticity which generates a partial recovery of resting activity in the vestibular nucleus ipsilateral to the UL, however the mechanism of this neural recovery is unknown. It has been suggested that other areas of the CNS may substitute non-vestibular sensory inputs for the missing labyrinthine input, thereby causing vestibular compensation. The present results show that resting activity can be recorded from medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons in vitro, in brainstem slices from guinea pigs which have compensated for an ipsilateral UL. This result suggests that MVN neurons are capable of generating resting activity without inputs from many other CNS areas. Perfusion with high Mg2+ solution did not abolish resting activity in most cases, suggesting that part of the resting activity may be generated spontaneously by the neurons, possibly through changes in the electrical excitability of the cell membrane.

Expression of amino acid transport systems in Xenopus oocytes injected with mRNA of rat small intestine and kidney

Xenopus and Cynops oocytes were injected with exogenous mRNA prepared from rat small intestine and kidney and their electrical responses to amino acids were measured by both the current clamped and the voltage clamped methods. Oocytes injected with mRNA of rat small intestine showed a depolarization response to several neutral and basic amino acids, and almost no response to acidic amino acids. The responses to amino acids increased with incubation time after injection of mRNA, and followed Michaelis-Menten type kinetics. The responses were dependent on both Na+ concentration and membrane potential, and were inactivated by a sulfhydryl reagent, 5,5-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate). These results are interpreted as due to the expression of Na+/amino acid cotransporter(s) in oocytes injected with rat small intestine mRNA. On the other hand, the oocyte injected with rat kidney mRNA showed a hyperpolarization response to neutral amino acids, a depolarization response to basic ones, and almost no response to acidic ones in frog Ringer solution. These responses were independent of Na+ concentration and followed Michaelis-Menten type kinetics. These amino acid response characteristics in oocytes injected with rat kidney mRNA are interpreted as due to the expression of facilitated diffusion carrier protein(s) (uniporter) of amino acids in the oocyte.

Pitfalls in the use of brain slices

In vitro brain slices are the preparation of choice for the detailed examination of local circuit properties in mammalian brain. However it is the investigator's responsibility to verify that the circuits under investigation are indeed confined within the boundaries of the functional region of the slice used. The medium in which the slice is maintained is under the full control of the investigator. This places the burden on the investigator to ensure that: (1) the properties of the medium are fully under control; (2) the effects of the medium on the slice are known; (3) the conditions under which the slice is being maintained bear some reasonable relation to those it enjoys (or endures) in vivo. Generalizations to in vivo conditions must be made with caution. If at all possible, similar studies (perhaps less extensive, due to the greater technical difficulties) should be done in vivo to provide a basis for comparison. Investigators using drugs should be aware of, and respect, the basic pharmacological principles cited in the text. In particular, the substantial freedom the investigator has in defining the extracellular medium should not be abused.

Effect of lipid hydroperoxide on Xenopus oocytes and on neurotransmitter receptors synthesized in Xenopus oocytes injected with exogenous mRNA

The effect of 13-L-hydroperoxylinoleic acid (LOOH) on both Xenopus oocytes and neurotransmitter receptors synthesized in the oocytes was studied by electrophysiological and ion flux measurement. Addition of LOOH to the incubation mixture of the oocytes raised the membrane potential and decreased the membrane resistance of the oocytes. These effects of LOOH on the oocytes were reversed within a few hours by incubation with frog Ringer solution. Addition of LOOH also caused an increase of Li+ and 45Ca2+ uptake into the oocytes. However, production of alkoxy radicals by the addition of FeCl2 to the incubation mixture containing LOOH did not accelerate the damage to the oocytes by LOOH. So essential toxicity is caused possibly by an increase in the membrane permeability resulting from disturbance of the lipid bilayer arrangement, not from production of active alkoxy radicals during decomposition of LOOH. Nicotinic acetylcholine and gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors were synthesized in Xenopus oocytes by injecting mRNA prepared from Electrophorus electricus electroplax and rat brain. LOOH noncompetitively inhibited the function of these receptors and also increased the rate of desensitization of the receptors.

Thermosensitivity of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the rat slice preparation

The thermosensitivity of 65 spontaneously active neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was investigated by extracellular recording in the rat hypothalamic slice preparation. The firing rate of these cells was comparatively low, ranging from 0.03 to 10.0 (mean 2.46) impulses/s at 37 degrees C, and only a minority showed a phasic firing pattern. Of 65 neurons tested, 23 (35%) increased their firing rate when the slice was warmed (warm-sensitive neurons) and 9 (14%) showed the opposite response (cold-sensitive neurons). Thermosensitivity was also tested in solutions with reduced [Ca2+] and high [Mg2+]. Eight out of 10 warm-sensitive neurons and 5 of 7 cold-sensitive neurons retained thermosensitivity after synaptic blockade. Out of 6 phasic firing neurons tested, one showed warm-sensitivity and another one showed cold-sensitivity. The thermosensitive neurons were diffusely distributed throughout the PVN and were not located in particular areas of the nucleus. Thus a group of cells in the PVN, including probably both magno- and parvocellular neurons, showed an inherent thermosensitivity, which suggests an important role for the PVN in thermoregulation.

Expression of the functional D-glucose transport system in Xenopus oocytes injected with mRNA of rat small intestine

mRNA prepared from rat small intestine was injected into Xenopus oocytes. The injected oocytes showed a clear electrical response to D-glucose (Glu) in the form of membrane depolarization and conductance increase, while none was shown to D-fructose. The membrane electrical response of the injected oocytes evoked by Glu followed the Michaelis-Menten type kinetics and was dependent on the membrane potential of the oocyte. Replacing the Na+ of the bathing buffer with choline+ resulted in no response to Glu. Thus, a Glu transport system coupled to a Na+ gradient was expressed in Xenopus oocytes by injecting mRNA from rat small intestine.

Induction of muscarinic acetylcholine, serotonin and substance P receptors in Xenopus oocytes injected with mRNA prepared from the small intestine of rats

Serotonin and muscarinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors were clearly induced in Xenopus oocyte injected with mRNA prepared from the small intestines of rats. Their response to ACh and serotonin was composed of 4 distinct components: fast and slow depolarization, slow hyperpolarization and large membrane potential fluctuation. About three-quarters of the injected oocytes responded to substance P. The response of the injected oocytes to substance P was transient and decayed even in the presence of substance P, indicating the presence of desensitization. However, the injected oocytes showed no response to 6 other drugs analyzed: adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glycine and glutamate.

Adaptive changes in thermoregulation and their neuropharmacological basis

Adaptive changes of the thermoregulatory system include morphological and functional modifications. The morphological modifications such as changes in body shape and insulation need time periods of months to years to develop, unless they are genetically fixed and appear seasonally. In general, they are preceded by functional modifications, including changes in capacity of the effector systems and changes in regulatory characteristics, which need much less time to develop. These early changes in regulatory characteristics, which can be defined as deviations in threshold and gain of the thermoregulatory responses, have been described and subdivided into short-term (minutes) and long-term (weeks) modifications. Evidence for the participation of monoaminergic brain stem systems in these modifications has been reviewed. On the basis of recent insights into the organization of the thermoregulatory system, and of evaluation of experimental evidence from electrophysiological, neuropharmacological, and neuroanatomical studies it can be concluded that these systems are involved in adaptive modifications. Receiving information from several sensory systems they seem to deliver additional modulatory signals, which may interfere with the processing of specific thermal information at several sites. Theoretically, the central monoamines may participate in the control of thermal input, in the central integration of thermal signals, and in modification of output signals to thermoregulatory effectors. Best documented is their modulatory action on thermosensitive and thermointegrative hypothalamic neurons. There, the monoamines 5-hydroxytryptamine and noradrenaline act as antagonists, which enhance or diminish the effects of thermal afferents mediated by other transmitters. Moreover, the antagonistic monoaminergic systems are interconnected and can influence each other at the level of lower brain stem. The activity in central monoaminergic systems can also be modified by neurohumoral feedback mechanisms from the periphery. By means of these interrelations the vegetative responses of the organism can be corrected and optimized. These interrelations can explain also some cross-adaptive changes in the thermoregulatory threshold for shivering evoked by nonthermal factors such as food intake or long-distance running.

Examination of the subdiencephalic rat brain for sites mediating PGE1-induced pyrexia

The subdiencephalic rat brain was mapped for sites capable of mediating prostaglandin-induced pyrexia. In conscious rats, PGE1, 200 ng in a volume of 1 microliter, was injected unilaterally into 412 sites between the midmesencephalon and the caudal medulla. Injections into only 12 sites caused a reproducible, short-latency core temperature increase of at least 0.5 degrees C. None of these was located in the paramedian brainstem, which was considered a likely site of PGE1 action because of the presence there of thermosensitive and pyrogen-sensitive neurons. Rather, the reactive loci were found in the hippocampus (5 sites) and in the vicinity of the cochlear nuclei (7 sites). Injections into only 2 sites in the latter region failed to produce pyrexia. In the hippocampus, however, injections at 31 sites in the same frontal planes as the reactive loci produced no effect. The possibility that the active hippocampal sites were associated with a distribution of injectate to PGE1-sensitive neurons located within hippocampal cleavage planes rather than in a circumscribed region is discussed.

Li+ uptake into Xenopus and Cynops oocytes injected with exogenous mRNA, observed by flame emission spectroscopy

Li+ uptake into Xenopus oocytes was measured by flame emission spectroscopy. Li+ uptake into the oocytes increased proportionally with incubation time and was dependent on either pH or temperature. Maximum uptake of Li+ was observed around pH 7. Li+ uptake into Xenopus oocytes increased by a factor of roughly 7 over the range 4-30 degrees C. When mRNA prepared from electroplax of Electrophorus electricus was injected into Xenopus or Cynops oocytes, Li+ uptake into the injected oocytes increased by the addition of carbamylcholine (Carb), an agonist of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). This increase of Li+ uptake by Carb was inhibited by d-tubocurarine, an antagonist of nicotinic AChR. Thus, a new method was established for detection of the activity of nicotinic AChR synthesized in oocytes injected with exogenous mRNA.

New translation system of mRNA coding for neurotransmitter receptors using oocytes of the newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster

Eel electroplax mRNA was injected into oocytes of newts (Cynops pyrrhogaster) and the injection induced synthesis of a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the oocyte membrane. The time course of the induction and dose-response relationship of the receptor were recorded electrophysiologically. The receptor responses and their developmental changes were similar to those of Xenopus oocytes injected with eel mRNA. Newt oocytes lived much longer (7-10 days) than Xenopus oocytes (3-4 days) under our experimental conditions. In non-injected newt oocytes, native transmitter receptors were not observed. In addition, newts have large oocytes (1.6-1.9 mm in diameter), into which a large amount of mRNA could be easily injected. Thus, newt oocytes may be a more useful system to translate exogenous mRNAs coding for neurotransmitter receptors than Xenopus oocytes.

Warm- and cold-sensitive neurons inactive at normal core temperature in rat hypothalamic slices

Electrical activities of thermosensitive neurons were recorded extracellularly in slices of rat preoptic area and anterior hypothalamus. Of 63 spontaneously firing neurons found at high searching temperature (37-40 degrees C), 33% were warm-sensitive, 8% were cold-sensitive and the remaining 59% were thermally insensitive. In particular, 6 warm-sensitive neurons were active only above 38 degrees C of rat normal core temperature. In contrast, of 38 spontaneously firing neurons found at low searching temperature (32-36 degrees C), 8% were warm-sensitive, 29% were cold-sensitive and the remaining 63% were thermally insensitive. Furthermore, all these cold-sensitive neurons were active only below 38 degrees C. Therefore, the warm- and cold-sensitive neurons active at 38 degrees C would be functioning for narrow band control and the remaining warm- and cold-sensitive neurons inactive at 38 degrees C would be recruited for wide band control when core temperature was changed critically from 38 degrees C. Their firing rate activities often showed obvious threshold responses, large hysteresis of the threshold responses and remarkable transient responses to slice temperature changes. From aspects of automatic control theory, these warm- and cold-sensitive neurons themselves may be thermostats to regulate the brain temperature rather than thermosensors to monitor it.

Time course of the induction of acetylcholine receptors in Xenopus oocytes injected with mRNA from Electrophorus electricus electroplax

mRNA from the electroplax of adult Electrophorus electricus was injected into Xenopus oocytes. At various times after injection, the induction of the nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor in the oocyte membrane was studied electrophysiologically using a two-electrode current clamp. When the ACh sensitivity was induced, membrane potential and conductance rapidly rose from the resting value to their peaks and slowly fell (desensitization) in response to bath-applied 0.1 mM ACh. It took a latency period of 8 +/- 2.6 h (n = 10) from mRNA injection to the first appearance of the ACh sensitivity. During about 10 h incubation after the onset, the increasing speed in the peak of ACh-induced conductance change with incubation time was slow at first and accelerated later. The speed was then decelerated until the induction stages of 60 h. Apparent desensitization properties of the induced receptors changed with an increase of incubation time. During the early induction stages, the conductance decline after its peak followed two exponentials in a minute time region of ACh application: an early slow and a late fast one. The rate of decline in the late fast component slowed down markedly with incubation time. Finally the desensitization followed a single exponential.