Spinal cord noradrenergic neurons are activated in hypotension

Effects of hemorrhagic hypotension on tyrosine concentrations in rat spinal cord and plasma

Tyrosine is the precursor for catecholamine neurotransmitters. When catecholamine-containing neurons are physiologically active (as sympathoadrenal cells are in hypotension), tyrosine administration increases catecholamine synthesis and release. Since hypotension can alter plasma amino acid composition, we examined the effects of an acute hypotensive insult on tyrosine concentrations in plasma and spinal cord. Rats were cannulated and bled until the systolic blood pressure was 50 mmHg, or were kept normotensive for 1 h. Tyrosine and other large neutral amino acids (LNAA) known to compete with tyrosine for brain uptake were assayed in plasma and spinal cord. The rate at which intra-arterial [3H]tyrosine disappeared from the plasma was also estimated in hemorrhaged and control rats. In plasma of hemorrhaged animals, both the tyrosine concentration and the tyrosine/LNAA ratio was elevated; moreover, the disappearance of [3H]tyrosine was slowed. Tyrosine concentrations also increased in spinal cords of hemorrhaged-hypotensive rats when compared to normotensive controls. Changes in plasma amino acid patterns may thus influence spinal cord concentrations of amino acid precursors for neurotransmitters during the stress of hemorrhagic shock.

Hemorrhage induces Fos immunoreactivity in rat medullary catecholaminergic neurons

In urethane anesthetized rats one hour after lowering the systolic blood pressure to 70-75 mmHg by withdrawing 3-4 ml of blood, Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR), confined to the cell nucleus, was detected bilaterally in numerous cells of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and ventrolateral medulla (VLM). A few Fos-IR neurons were observed in the lateral reticular nucleus, dorsal medullary reticular nucleus, spinal trigeminal nucleus, medial inferior olive, interfasciculus hypoglossi and paramedian rostral medulla. In sham-operated animals, a much smaller number of Fos-IR neurons were scattered in the NTS, VLM and other nuclei mentioned above. Double labeling with antisera to tyrosine-hydroxylase (TH) and phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT) showed that 60% of TH-positive neurons in the NTS contained Fos-IR, and 70-80% of TH-positive neurons in the caudal VLM and 50-60% of PMNT-positive neurons in the rostral VLM expressed Fos-IR. Only a few TH- or PNMT-positive neurons in the C2, C3 (paramedian rostral medulla) areas and within the medial longitudinal fasciculus were Fos-IR. About 40% of PNMT/Fos-IR neurons in the rostral VLM contained the retrograde tracer fluorogold, which was injected (< 1 microliter) into the white matter dorsolateral to the intermediolateral cell column of T2-T3 segments 2 to 3 days prior to hemorrhagic experiments. Very few TH-positive neurons in the caudal VLM contained fluorogold. Finally, clusters of Fos-IR neurons, which also labeled with antisera to choline acetyltransferase, were detected in the intermediolateral cell column of the spinal cord. The results indicate that during hemorrhage aminergic neurons in the caudal and rostral VLM and in the NTS are activated insofar as c-fos expression is concerned. As a corollary, the monoaminergic neurons in the medulla constitute an essential component in the ascending as well as descending reflex pathway involved in the adjustment of cardiovascular dynamics during hemorrhage.

Catecholamine projections to the spinal cord in the rat and their relationship to central cardiovascular neurons

The organization of the neuroanatomical substrate which provides the supraspinal catecholaminergic innervation of the upper thoracic spinal cord in the rat was studied by means of retrograde labelling of neurons with primuline and other dyes, combined with simultaneous catecholamine fluorescence (FAGLU-method). It was shown that spinally projecting catecholaminergic neurons lie predominantly in the A6 and A11 groups, while a minority of these neurons are also located in the A1/C1 and A5 groups. The number of catecholamine-containing neurons in the A11 group in the rat was estimated to be 173 +/- 4. Most of them (up to 86%) were retrogradely labelled with primuline. The possible functional role of dopaminergic diencephalospinal, noradrenergic pontospinal, and adrenergic bulbospinal neuronal systems in cardiovascular control is discussed.

Central noradrenergic neurons: the autonomic connection

Most CNS noradrenergic (NE) cell groups reside in portions of the medulla oblongata primarily involved in autonomic control (A1, A2, A5) and even the pontine locus coeruleus (A6) receives a major innervation from these medullary areas. This review examines the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological literature relevant to the issue of the role of CNS NE neurons in central autonomic control (with emphasis on cardiovascular control). It is concluded that NE cells, with the possible exception of certain A5 and A1 neurons, have relatively weak or no inputs from visceral cardiovascular afferents but provide a complex "open loop" control over non-aminergic circuits which are more specialized in the processing of cardiovascular and other autonomic reflexes. The question of whether the C1 "adrenergic" cells of the rostral medulla oblongata actually use noradrenaline as a neurotransmitter is also briefly addressed.

Changes in brain monoamines and their metabolites during and after hemorrhagic shock in the rat

The alteration of monoamines and their metabolites in the brain during and after hemorrhagic shock in the conscious state was measured in rats. Blood pressure was maintained at 40-70 mmHg (5.3-9.3 kPa) for 60 min by withdrawing 8 ml of blood intermittently. The content of monoamines, as well as their metabolites, increased in various brain regions during hemorrhage, compared with the content in the control rats. Sixty min after the end of the bleeding period, almost no significant change in the contents of brain monoamines nor of their metabolites was observed. These results may indicate not only an increased release of monoamines from nerve terminals, but also an increased synthesis of them during hemorrhagic shock. Soon after the bleeding was stopped, the increased monoamine turnover rate returned to almost normal levels.