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Ikegame S, Yoshimoto M, Miki K. Simultaneous measurement of central amygdala neuronal activity and sympathetic nerve activity during daily activities in rats. Exp Physiol 2022; 107:1071-1080. [PMID: 35857391 DOI: 10.1113/ep090538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? The functional relationships between central amygdala neuronal activity and sympathetic nerve activity in daily activities remain unclear. We aimed to measure central amygdala neuronal activity, renal and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity, heart rate, and arterial pressure simultaneously in freely moving rats. What is the main finding and its importance? Central amygdala neuronal activity (CeANA) is significantly related to renal and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA and LSNA, respectively) and heart rate (HR) in a behavioural state-dependent and regionally different manner; meanwhile, CeANA was tightly associated with RSNA and HR across all behavioural states. Thus, it is likely that the amygdala is one of the components of neural networks for generating regional differences in renal and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity. ABSTRACT The central amygdala (CeA) is involved in generating diverse changes in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in response to changes in daily behavioural states. However, the functional relationships between CeA neuronal activity (CeANA) and SNA in daily activities are still unclear. In the present study, we developed a method for simultaneous and continuous measurement of CeANA and SNA in freely moving rats. Wistar rats were chronically instrumented with multiple electrodes (100-μm stainless-steel wire) for the measurement of CeANA, of renal SNA (RSNA) and of lumbar SNA (LSNA), and electroencephalogram, electromyogram (EMG), and electrocardiogram electrodes as well as catheters for measurement of arterial pressure (AP). During the transition from non-rapid-eye movement (NREM) sleep to quiet wakefulness, moving, and grooming states, a significant linear relationship was observed between CeANA and RSNA (P < 0.0001), between CeANA and LSNA (P = 0.0309), between CeANA and heart rate (HR) (P = 0.0123), and between CeANA and EMG (P = 0.0089), but no significant correlation was observed between CeANA and AP (P = 0.5139). During rapid eye movement sleep, the relationships between CeANA and RSNA, LSNA, HR, AP, and EMG deviated from the previously observed linear relationships, but the time course of RSNA and HR changes was the mirror image of that of CeANA, while the time course of changes in LSNA and AP was not related to that of CeANA. In conclusion, CeANA was related to RSNA, LSNA, and HR in a behavioural state-dependent and regionally different manner, while CeANA was tightly associated with RSNA and HR across all behavioural states. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shizuka Ikegame
- Autonomic Physiology Laboratory, Faculty of Life Science and Human Technology, Nara Women's University, Kita-Uoya Nishimachi, Nara, 630-8506, Japan
| | - Misa Yoshimoto
- Autonomic Physiology Laboratory, Faculty of Life Science and Human Technology, Nara Women's University, Kita-Uoya Nishimachi, Nara, 630-8506, Japan
| | - Kenju Miki
- Autonomic Physiology Laboratory, Faculty of Life Science and Human Technology, Nara Women's University, Kita-Uoya Nishimachi, Nara, 630-8506, Japan
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Sheng ZF, Zhang H, Zheng P, Chen S, Gu Z, Zhou JJ, Phaup JG, Chang HM, Yeh ETH, Pan HL, Li DP. Impaired Kv7 channel activity in the central amygdala contributes to elevated sympathetic outflow in hypertension. Cardiovasc Res 2022; 118:585-596. [PMID: 33512443 PMCID: PMC8803073 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvab031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Elevated sympathetic outflow is associated with primary hypertension. However, the mechanisms involved in heightened sympathetic outflow in hypertension are unclear. The central amygdala (CeA) regulates autonomic components of emotions through projections to the brainstem. The neuronal Kv7 channel is a non-inactivating voltage-dependent K+ channel encoded by KCNQ2/3 genes involved in stabilizing the neuronal membrane potential and regulating neuronal excitability. In this study, we investigated if altered Kv7 channel activity in the CeA contributes to heightened sympathetic outflow in hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS The mRNA and protein expression levels of Kv7.2/Kv7.3 in the CeA were significantly reduced in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) compared with Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Lowering blood pressure with coeliac ganglionectomy in SHRs did not alter Kv7.2 and Kv7.3 channel expression levels in the CeA. Fluospheres were injected into the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) to retrogradely label CeA neurons projecting to the RVLM (CeA-RVLM neurons). Kv7 channel currents recorded from CeA-RVLM neurons in brain slices were much smaller in SHRs than in WKY rats. Furthermore, the basal firing activity of CeA-RVLM neurons was significantly greater in SHRs than in WKY rats. Bath application of specific Kv7 channel blocker 10, 10-bis (4-pyridinylmethyl)-9(10H)-anthracnose (XE-991) increased the excitability of CeA-RVLM neurons in WKY rats, but not in SHRs. Microinjection of XE-991 into the CeA increased arterial blood pressure (ABP) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), while microinjection of Kv7 channel opener QO-58 decreased ABP and RSNA, in anaesthetized WKY rats but not SHRs. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that diminished Kv7 channel activity in the CeA contributes to elevated sympathetic outflow in primary hypertension. This novel information provides new mechanistic insight into the pathogenesis of neurogenic hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao-Fu Sheng
- Center for Precision Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Hua Zhang
- Center for Precision Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - PeiRu Zheng
- Center for Precision Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Shanyan Chen
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Zezong Gu
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Jing-Jing Zhou
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jeffery G Phaup
- Center for Precision Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Hui-Ming Chang
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Internal Medicine, The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham St., Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Edward T H Yeh
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Internal Medicine, The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham St., Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Hui-Lin Pan
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - De-Pei Li
- Center for Precision Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
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Chapp AD, Gui L, Huber MJ, Liu J, Larson RA, Zhu J, Carter JR, Chen QH. Sympathoexcitation and pressor responses induced by ethanol in the central nucleus of amygdala involves activation of NMDA receptors in rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2014; 307:H701-9. [PMID: 24993048 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00005.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The central nervous system plays an important role in regulating sympathetic outflow and arterial pressure in response to ethanol exposure. However, the underlying neural mechanisms have not been fully understood. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that injection of ethanol in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) increases sympathetic outflow, which may require the activation of local ionotropic excitatory amino acid receptors. In anesthetized rats, CeA injection of ethanol (0, 0.17, and 1.7 μmol) increased splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA), lumbar sympathetic nerve activity (LSNA), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in a dose-dependent manner. A cocktail containing ethanol (1.7 μmol) and kynurenate (KYN), an ionotropic excitatory amino acid receptor blocker, showed significantly blunted sympathoexcitatory and pressor responses compared with those elicited by CeA-injected ethanol alone (P < 0.01). A cocktail containing ethanol and d-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate, an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, elicited attenuated sympathoexcitatory and pressor responses that were significantly less than ethanol alone (P < 0.01). In addition, CeA injection of acetate (0.20 μmol, n = 7), an ethanol metabolite, consistently elicited sympathoexcitatory and pressor responses, which were effectively blocked by d-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (n = 9, P < 0.05). Inhibition of neuronal activity of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) with KYN significantly (P < 0.01) attenuated sympathoexcitatory responses elicited by CeA-injected ethanol. Double labeling of immune fluorescence showed NMDA NR1 receptor expression in CeA neurons projecting to the RVLM. We conclude that ethanol and acetate increase sympathetic outflow and arterial pressure, which may involve the activation of NMDA receptors in CeA neurons projecting to the RVLM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Chapp
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan; and
| | - Le Gui
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan; and Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Michael J Huber
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan; and
| | - Jinling Liu
- Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Robert A Larson
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan; and
| | - Jianhua Zhu
- Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jason R Carter
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan; and
| | - Qing-Hui Chen
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan; and
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Chiou RJ, Kuo CC, Yen CT. Comparisons of terminal densities of cardiovascular function-related projections from the amygdala subnuclei. Auton Neurosci 2013; 181:21-30. [PMID: 24412638 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2013.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2013] [Revised: 11/16/2013] [Accepted: 12/10/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is important in higher-level control of cardiovascular functions. In this study, we compared cardiovascular-related projections among the subnuclei of the amygdala. Biotinylated dextran amine was injected into the central, medial, and basolateral nuclei of the amygdala, and the distributions and densities of anterograde-labeled terminal boutons were analyzed. We found that the medial, basolateral, and central nuclei all had projections into the cardiovascular-related areas of the hypothalamus. However, only the central nucleus had a significant direct projection into the medulla. By contrast, the medial nucleus had limited projections, and the basolateral nucleus had no terminals extending into the medulla. We concluded that the medial, central, and basolateral nuclei of the amygdala may influence cardiovascular-related nuclei through monosynaptic connections with cardiovascular-related nuclei in the hypothalamus and medulla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruei-Jen Chiou
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Chih Kuo
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, 701 Chung-Yang Road, Section 3, Hualien 97004, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Tung Yen
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, 1 Roosevelt Road, Section 4, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
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Beckerman MA, Van Kempen TA, Justice NJ, Milner TA, Glass MJ. Corticotropin-releasing factor in the mouse central nucleus of the amygdala: ultrastructural distribution in NMDA-NR1 receptor subunit expressing neurons as well as projection neurons to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Exp Neurol 2012; 239:120-32. [PMID: 23063907 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2012.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2012] [Revised: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 10/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and glutamate are critical signaling molecules in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Central amygdala CRF, acting via the CRF type 1 receptor (CRF-R1), plays an integral role in stress responses and emotional learning, processes that are generally known to involve functional NMDA-type glutamate receptors. There is also evidence that CRF expressing CeA projection neurons to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) play an important role in stress related behaviors. Despite the potentially significant interactions between CRF and NMDA receptors in the CeA, the synaptic organization of these systems is largely unknown. Using dual labeling high resolution immunocytochemical electron microscopy, it was found that individual somata and dendrites displayed immunoreactivity for CRF and the NMDA-NR1 (NR1) subunit in the mouse CeA. In addition, CRF-containing axon terminals contacted postsynaptic targets in the CeA, some of which also expressed NR1. Neuronal profiles expressing the CRF type 1 receptor (CRF-R1), identified by the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mice, also contained NR1, and GFP immunoreactive terminals formed synapses with NR1 containing dendrites. Although CRF and GFP were only occasionally co-expressed in individual somata and dendritic profiles, contacts between labeled axon terminals and dendrites were frequently observed. A combination of tract tracing and immunocytochemistry revealed that a population of CeA CRF neurons projected to the BNST. It was also found that CRF, or GFP expressing terminals directly contacted CeA-BNST projection neurons. These results indicate that the NMDA receptor is positioned for the postsynaptic regulation of CRF expressing CeA neurons and the modulation of signals conveyed by CRF inputs. Interactions between CRF and NMDA receptor mediated signaling in CeA neurons, including those projecting to the BNST, may provide the synaptic basis for integrating the experience of stress and relevant environmental stimuli with behaviors that may be of particular relevance to stress-related learning and the emergence of psychiatric disorders, including drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc A Beckerman
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Takemoto Y. Amino acids that centrally influence blood pressure and regional blood flow in conscious rats. JOURNAL OF AMINO ACIDS 2012; 2012:831759. [PMID: 22690328 PMCID: PMC3368589 DOI: 10.1155/2012/831759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2012] [Revised: 03/11/2012] [Accepted: 03/22/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Functional roles of amino acids have increasingly become the focus of research. This paper summarizes amino acids that influence cardiovascular system via the brain of conscious rats. This paper firstly describes why amino acids are selected and outlines how the brain regulates blood pressure and regional blood flow. This section includes a concise history of amino acid neurotransmitters in cardiovascular research and summarizes brain areas where chemical stimulations produce blood pressure changes mainly in anesthetized animals. This is followed by comments about findings regarding several newly examined amino acids with intracisternal stimulation in conscious rats that produce changes in blood pressure. The same pressor or depressor response to central amino acid stimulations can be produced by distinct mechanisms at central and peripheral levels, which will be briefly explained. Thereafter, cardiovascular actions of some of amino acids at the mechanism level will be discussed based upon findings of pharmacological and regional blood flow measurements. Several examined amino acids in addition to the established neurotransmitter amino acids appear to differentially activate brain structures to produce changes in blood pressure and regional blood flows. They may have physiological roles in the healthy brain, but pathological roles in the brain with cerebral vascular diseases such as stroke where the blood-brain barrier is broken.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumi Takemoto
- Department of Neurophysiology, Graduate School Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Kasumi-cho 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan
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Lyubashina OA, Nozdrachev AD. Effects of the vagus nerve stimulation on amygdalohypothalamic and amygdalobulbular influences. DOKLADY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES SECTIONS 2010; 434:313-317. [PMID: 20963652 DOI: 10.1134/s0012496610050066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- O A Lyubashina
- Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
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Saleh TM, Cribb AE, Connell BJ. Role of estrogen in central nuclei mediating stroke-induced changes in autonomic tone. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2007; 12:182-95. [PMID: 17903925 DOI: 10.1016/s1052-3057(03)00080-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2002] [Revised: 06/09/2003] [Accepted: 06/13/2003] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The current investigation examined the role of estrogen in central autonomic regulatory nuclei on the autonomic dysfunction resulting from middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Experiments were done in anaesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. The effect of MCAO on autonomic tone was assessed by monitoring vagal and renal efferent nerve activities before and following systemic administration of either estrogen or saline and the bilateral microinjection of the estrogen receptor antagonist, ICI 182, 780, into several autonomic nuclei (the intrathecal space of the spinal cord, nucleus tractus solitarius, nucleus ambiguus, rostral ventrolateral medulla, parabrachial nucleus, central nucleus of the amygdala or ventral posteromedial thalamus). Autonomic reflex function was evoked using intravenous injection of increasing doses of phenylephrine (0.025-0.1 mg/kg) and the peak changes in heart rate and blood pressure were plotted to obtain the baroreflex sensitivity. The presence of ICI 182, 780 in the intrathecal space of the spinal cord, nucleus ambiguous, nucleus tractus solitarius, rostral ventrolateral medulla, parabrachial nucleus, or central nucleus of the amygdala prior to the administration of estrogen resulted in a significant attenuation (ranging from 79% to 94 %) in the estrogen-induced recovery of autonomic function following MCAO. Blocking estrogen receptors in the ventral posteromedial thalamus had no effect on the ability of estrogen to prevent the MCAO-induced changes in autonomic function. These results suggest that the estrogen-mediated recovery of autonomic function following MCAO is dependent on the availability of estrogen receptors in several forebrain and brainstem autonomic nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarek M Saleh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
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Correll CM, Rosenkranz JA, Grace AA. Chronic cold stress alters prefrontal cortical modulation of amygdala neuronal activity in rats. Biol Psychiatry 2005; 58:382-91. [PMID: 16023619 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2004] [Revised: 03/29/2005] [Accepted: 04/06/2005] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent studies suggest that long-term exposure to stress can sensitize animals to subsequent novel or acute stressors. Stressors affect amygdala activity, and the prefrontal cortex has been implicated in the regulation of responses to stress. Little is known, however, about how the physiology of amygdala neurons is altered by chronic stressors or the role of the prefrontal cortex in these changes. METHODS We used in vivo extracellular recordings from neurons in the rat central and basolateral amygdala nuclei to examine the effects of chronic stress on the basal firing and responses of amygdala neurons to a novel stressor. Additionally, prefrontal cortical afferents were severed to examine its role in the modulation of the response to stressors. RESULTS Chronic exposure to cold enhanced the sensitivity of central amygdala neurons to footshock. A portion of this may be due to enhanced basolateral amygdala output. Furthermore, prefrontal cortical regulation of this response is weakened by chronic stress. CONCLUSIONS The physiology of the amygdala is altered by chronic stress. Furthermore, the prefrontal cortical regulation of these responses may be weakened after chronic stress. This is a potential biological substrate for abnormal affect upon chronic stress and its effect on affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia M Correll
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
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Saha S. ROLE OF THE CENTRAL NUCLEUS OF THE AMYGDALA IN THE CONTROL OF BLOOD PRESSURE: DESCENDING PATHWAYS TO MEDULLARY CARDIOVASCULAR NUCLEI. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2005; 32:450-6. [PMID: 15854157 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1681.2005.04210.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
1. One of the key areas that links psychologically induced stress with the blood pressure-regulatory system is the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). This is an integratory forebrain nucleus that receives input from higher centres in the forebrain and has extensive connections with the hypothalamus and the medulla oblongata, areas involved in the regulation of the cardiovascular reflexes. 2. Based on studies using electrical or chemical stimulation or electrolytic lesions of the CeA, it has become clear that the CeA plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure in response to stressful or fearful stimuli. 3. Two important medullary areas known to receive projections from the CeA are the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). The NTS is the site of the first synapse for afferent fibres originating from baroreceptors, chemoreceptors and the heart, whereas the RVLM contains neurons that maintain resting blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity via projections to sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the intermediolateral cell column of the thoracolumbar spinal cord. 4. Electron microscopic studies using combined anterograde tracing and pre- and post-embedding immunogold labelling have shown that the pathways originating from the CeA to the NTS are inhibitory and may use GABA as a neurotransmitter. The results of these studies suggest that blood pressure changes produced by activation of the CeA may be mediated by attenuation of baroreceptor reflexes through a GABAergic mechanism at the level of the NTS. 5. Neuronal tract tracing combined with neurofunctional studies using the Fos protein as a marker of activated neurons indicate that the CeA projects directly to baroreceptive neurons in the NTS and RVLM that are activated by changes in blood pressure. 6. In conclusion, studies that have examined the efferent pathways of the CeA suggest that CeA neurons with projections to medullary baroreceptive neurons may play a vital role in the reflex changes in sympathetic nerve activity that are involved in blood pressure regulation in response to stress or anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Saha
- Academic Unit of Cardiovascular Research, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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Saha S, Drinkhill MJ, Moore JP, Batten TFC. Central nucleus of amygdala projections to rostral ventrolateral medulla neurones activated by decreased blood pressure. Eur J Neurosci 2005; 21:1921-30. [PMID: 15869485 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.04023.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) participates in cardiovascular regulation during emotional behaviour but it has not been established whether any of these effects are mediated through its direct connections to blood pressure-regulating neurones in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). The RVLM contains barosensitive neurones that maintain resting blood pressure via their projections to sympathetic preganglionic neurones in the thoracic spinal cord. In this study on rats, we used combined anterograde neuronal tracing of CeA projections with confocal and electron microscopic immunohistochemical detection of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, the adrenaline-synthesizing enzyme present in C1 catecholamine neurones of the RVLM, and Fos, the protein product of the c-fos proto-oncogene. Fos expression in barosensitive neurones was stimulated by an intravenous infusion of the hypotensive agent sodium nitroprusside. Injection of the tracer biotin dextran amine (10-kDa form) into the CeA resulted in anterograde labelling of axons and varicosities throughout the RVLM without retrograde labelling of somata in any brain area. With confocal microscopy, presumptive CeA terminals were found in close apposition to adrenergic (phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase-immunoreactive) and non-adrenergic neurones that displayed Fos-immunoreactive nuclei in response to decreased blood pressure. Electron microscopic analysis confirmed that some labelled terminals of CeA axons made synaptic contact with c-fos-activated adrenergic neurones. The results provide evidence that cardiovascular influences elicited from the CeA during stressful events may be mediated, at least in part, via monosynaptic neural projections to barosensitive sympathetic blood pressure-regulating neurones in the RVLM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sikha Saha
- BHF Heart Centre & CRISTAL, School of Medicine, Worsley Building, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
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12
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Saleh TM, Connell BJ, Legge C, Cribb AE. Estrogen synthesis in the central nucleus of the amygdala following middle cerebral artery occlusion: Role in modulating neurotransmission. Neuroscience 2005; 135:1141-53. [PMID: 16165297 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.06.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2005] [Revised: 06/20/2005] [Accepted: 06/22/2005] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Stroke-induced lesions of the insular cortex in the brain have been linked to autonomic dysfunction (sympathoexcitation) leading to arrhythmogenesis and sudden cardiac death. In experimental models, systemic estrogen administration in male rats has been shown to reduce stroke-induced cell death in the insular cortex as well as prevent sympathoexcitation. The central nucleus of the amygdala has been postulated to mediate sympathoexcitatory output from the insular cortex. We therefore set out to determine if endogenous estrogen levels within the central nucleus of the amygdala are altered following stroke and if microinjection of estrogen into the central nucleus of the amygdala modulates autonomic tone. Plasma estrogen concentrations were not altered by middle cerebral artery occlusion (22.86+/-0.14 pg/ml vs. 21.24+/-0.33 pg/ml; P>0.05). In contrast, estrogen concentrations in the central nucleus of the amygdala increased significantly following middle cerebral artery occlusion (from 20.83+/-0.54 pg/ml to 76.67+/-1.59 pg/ml; P<0.05). Local infusion of an aromatase inhibitor, letrozole, into the central nucleus of the amygdala at the time of middle cerebral artery occlusion prevented the increase in estrogen concentration suggesting that this increase was dependent on aromatization from testosterone. Furthermore, bilateral microinjection of estrogen (0.5 microM in 200 nl) directly into the central nucleus of the amygdala significantly decreased arterial pressure and sympathetic tone and increased baroreflex sensitivity, and these effects were enhanced following co-injection with either an N-methyl-D-aspartate or non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist. Taken together, the results suggest that middle cerebral artery occlusion resulted in synthesis of estrogen within the central nucleus of the amygdala and that this enhanced estrogen level may act to attenuate overstimulation of central nucleus of the amygdala neurons to prevent middle cerebral artery occlusion-induced autonomic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Saleh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, P.E.I., Canada C1A 4P3.
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Kalisch R, Salomé N, Platzer S, Wigger A, Czisch M, Sommer W, Singewald N, Heilig M, Berthele A, Holsboer F, Landgraf R, Auer DP. High trait anxiety and hyporeactivity to stress of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex: a combined phMRI and Fos study in rats. Neuroimage 2004; 23:382-91. [PMID: 15325386 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2004] [Revised: 05/28/2004] [Accepted: 06/05/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural basis of trait anxiety is poorly understood. In genetically selected hyperanxious (high anxiety-related behavior; HAB) rats, diazepam induces a stronger anxiolytic response than in hypoanxious (low anxiety-related behavior; LAB) rats. A screen for neuronal response differences to diazepam between HAB and LAB rats using pharmacologic fMRI (phMRI) at 7 T revealed a blunted diazepam-induced neuronal deactivation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) of HABs. This was not due to reduced benzodiazepine (BDZ) receptor densities in this region. Instead, dmPFC tissue oxygenation at baseline was found to be significantly lower in HABs. This suggests a tonic relative hypoactivity under the highly stressful phMRI conditions, offering an explanation for the reduced responsivity to the neural depressant effect of diazepam in the sense of a floor effect. Subsequently, Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) showed that ethologically relevant stressors also cause less dmPFC activation in HABs. In the context of an anxiety-inhibiting role of the dmPFC, we propose that failure to sufficiently activate this region in stressful situations may contribute to high trait anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffael Kalisch
- NMR Study Group, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
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Salomé N, Salchner P, Viltart O, Sequeira H, Wigger A, Landgraf R, Singewald N. Neurobiological correlates of high (HAB) versus low anxiety-related behavior (LAB): differential Fos expression in HAB and LAB rats. Biol Psychiatry 2004; 55:715-23. [PMID: 15039000 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2003.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2003] [Revised: 10/10/2003] [Accepted: 10/28/2003] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Two Wistar rat lines selectively bred for either high (HAB) or low (LAB) anxiety-related behavior were used to identify neurobiological correlates of trait anxiety. METHODS We used Fos expression for mapping of neuronal activation patterns in response to mild anxiety-provoking challenges. RESULTS In both lines, exposure to an open field (OF) or the open arm (OA) of an elevated plus-maze induced Fos expression in several brain areas of the anxiety/fear circuitry. Rats of the HAB type, which showed signs of a hyperanxious phenotype and a hyperreactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis compared with LAB rats, exhibited a higher number of Fos-positive cells in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, the lateral and anterior hypothalamic area, and the medial preoptic area in response to both OA and OF. Less Fos expression was induced in the cingulate cortex in HAB than in LAB rats. Differential Fos expression in response to either OA or OF was observed in few brain regions, including the thalamus and hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS The present data indicate that the divergent anxiety-related behavioral response of HAB versus LAB rats to OF and OA exposures is associated with differential neuronal activation in restricted parts of the anxiety/fear circuitry. Distinct hypothalamic regions displayed hyperexcitability, and the cingulate cortex showed hypoexcitability, which suggests that they are main candidate mediators of dysfunctional brain activation in pathologic anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Salomé
- Laboratoire de Stress Périnatal, Université de Lille 1, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
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Buller KM, Dayas CV, Day TA. Descending pathways from the paraventricular nucleus contribute to the recruitment of brainstem nuclei following a systemic immune challenge. Neuroscience 2003; 118:189-203. [PMID: 12676149 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(02)00808-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Hypothalamic nuclei, particularly the paraventricular nuclei (PVN), are important brain sites responsible for central nervous system responses during an immune challenge. The brainstem catecholamine cells of the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and ventrolateral medulla (VLM) have been shown to play critical roles in relaying systemic immune signals to the PVN. However, whilst it is well recognised that PVN divisions also innervate the NTS and VLM, it is not known whether descending PVN pathways can modulate the recruitment of brainstem cells during an immune challenge. Using systemic administration of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1beta, in combination with Fos immunolabelling, we firstly investigated the effect of PVN lesions on NTS and VLM catecholamine and non-catecholamine cell responses. We found that ibotenic acid lesions of the PVN significantly reduced numbers of Fos-positive non-catecholamine, noradrenergic and adrenergic cells observable in the VLM and NTS after interleukin-1beta administration. We then investigated the origins of descending inputs to the VLM and NTS, activated by systemic interleukin-1beta, by mapping the distribution of Fos-positive retrogradely-labelled cells in divisions of the PVN after iontophoretically depositing choleratoxin-b subunit into the NTS or VLM one week prior to interleukin-1beta administration. We found that, after either NTS or VLM deposits, the majority of retrogradely-labelled Fos-positive cells activated by interleukin-1beta were localised in the medial and lateral parvocellular PVN divisions. Retrogradely-labelled Fos-positive cells were also observed in the NTS after VLM deposits, and in the VLM after NTS tracer deposits, suggesting reciprocal communication between these two nuclei after systemic interleukin-1beta. Thus the present study shows that the PVN has the capacity to modulate NTS and VLM responses after an immune challenge and that these may result from descending projections arising in the medial and lateral PVN divisions. These findings suggest that central nervous system responses to an immune challenge are likely to involve complex reciprocal connections between the PVN and the brainstem as well as between brainstem nuclei themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Buller
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Qld. 4072, Brisbane, Australia.
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Viltart O, Mullier O, Bernet F, Poulain P, Ba-M'Hamed S, Sequeira H. Motor cortical control of cardiovascular bulbar neurones projecting to spinal autonomic areas. J Neurosci Res 2003; 73:122-35. [PMID: 12815716 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.10598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
There is evidence that the motor cortex is involved in cardiovascular adjustments associated with somatic motor activity, as it has functional connections with the ventrolateral medulla, a brainstem region critically involved in the control of blood pressure and the regulation of plasma catecholamine levels. The ventrolateral medulla sends projections to the spinal intermediolateral nucleus, where preganglionic neurones controlling heart and blood vessels (T2 segment) and adrenal medulla (T8 segment) are found. The aim of the present study was to determine whether electrical stimulation of the rat motor cortex induces cardiovascular responses and Fos expression in ventrolateral medulla neurones projecting to the T2 and T8 segments. After a set of experiments designed to record cardiovascular parameters (blood pressure and plasma catecholamine levels), injections of retrograde tracer (Fluorogold) were performed in the intermediolateral nucleus of two groups of rats, at the T2 or at the T8 segmental levels. Five days later, the motor cortex was stimulated in order to induce Fos expression in the ventrolateral medulla. Stimulation of the motor cortex induced: (1). hypotension and a significant decrease in plasma noradrenaline levels, and (2). a significant increase in the number of the double-labelled neurones in the rostral ventrolateral medulla projecting to T2. These data demonstrate that cardiovascular adjustments, preparatory to, or concomitant with, motor activity may be initiated in the motor cortex and transmitted to cardiac and vasomotor spinal preganglionic neurones, via the ventrolateral medulla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odile Viltart
- Laboratoire Stress Périnatal JE 2365, Université de Lille I, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
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Curtis AL, Bello NT, Connolly KR, Valentino RJ. Corticotropin-releasing factor neurones of the central nucleus of the amygdala mediate locus coeruleus activation by cardiovascular stress. J Neuroendocrinol 2002; 14:667-82. [PMID: 12153469 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2002.00821.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Hypotensive stress engages corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) release within the rat locus coeruleus (LC), which activates LC neurones, initiating norepinephrine release in forebrain and activation of forebrain electroencephalographic activity. This study identified CRF afferents to the LC that are engaged during hypotensive stress. One of two potential CRF afferents, the central nucleus of the amygdala (CNA) or bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), was electrolytically lesioned and LC activation during hypotensive stress was quantified. Neither lesion altered LC spontaneous discharge rate or activation by intra-LC administered CRF. By contrast, LC activation by hypotensive stress was greatly attenuated in CNA-lesioned, but not BNST-lesioned, rats. Hypotensive stress-induced changes in transcriptional activation were immunohistochemically identified in CRF neurones that were retrogradely labelled from the LC region. c-fos immunoreactivity was prevalent in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), CNA and BNST. However, only the PVN contained a substantial number of neurones that were doubly immunolabelled for CRF and c-fos, and few of these were retrogradely labelled from the LC. By contrast, immunoreactivity for the phosporylated form of cyclic AMP response-element binding protein (PCREB) was prevalent in CRF neurones in the CNA and BNST. Moreover, approximately one-third of the PCREB-expressing CRF neurones in the CNA were retrogradely labelled from the LC. These electrophysiological and anatomical findings implicate the CNA as a primary source of CRF that activates the LC during hypotensive stress. Additionally, CREB phosphorylation, rather than c-fos induction, is associated with hypotensive activation of CRF-CNA neurones that project to the LC.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Curtis
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 402 Abramson Pediatric Research Center, Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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