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Role of nucleus parabrachialis in cardiovascular control and functional connections between parabrachial nucleus and rostral ventrolateral medulia in the rat

Shen Shiping, Ku Yunhui

Department of Physiology, Beijing Medical University. Beijing, China

Abstract

In Urethane-anesthetized, tubocurarine-immobilized and artificially ventilated
rats, electrical stimulation of, or microinjection of glutamate (Glut) into,the nucleus parabrachialis produced marked rises in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR).The levels of BP after Glut-excitation of ventral parabrachial', nucleus (NPV) and dorsal parabrachial nucleus (NPD) were 125.1±3.8 % and 123.9±12.1% of the control respectively, while the corresponding values of HR were 114.2±2.6% and 109.4土0.8%. The differences between these values and their respective controls were highly significant (P<0.01). Phentolamine-injection into the bilateral rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVL, the key area of BP control) blocked the cardiovascular effect of Glut-excitation of NPV or NPD, but not that of electrical stimulation of the same nuclei. These results indicate that the pressor and tachycardia effects of the stimulation of the NPB neurons by Glut are mediated by a-receptors in RVL, while the pressor effect of fiber-of-passage (in NPB) excitedy electrostimulation may be mediated by other type of receptors in RVL or even by other brain area.

Key words: Cardiovascular control;Nucleus parabrachialis;Rostral ventrolateral medulla;Alpha-adrenoceptor

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Citing This Article：

Shen Shiping, Ku Yunhui. Role of nucleus parabrachialis in cardiovascular control and functional connections between parabrachial nucleus and rostral ventrolateral medulia in the rat. Acta Physiol Sin 1987; 39 (5): (in Chinese with English abstract).