Gao S, Proekt A, Renier N, Calderon DP, Pfaff DW. Activating an anterior nucleus gigantocellularis subpopulation triggers emergence from pharmacologically-induced coma in rodents.
Nat Commun 2019;
10:2897. [PMID:
31263107 PMCID:
PMC6603023 DOI:
10.1038/s41467-019-10797-7]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple areas within the reticular activating system (RAS) can hasten awakening from sleep or light planes of anesthesia. However, stimulation in individual sites has shown limited recovery from deep global suppression of brain activity, such as coma. Here we identify a subset of RAS neurons within the anterior portion of nucleus gigantocellularis (aNGC) capable of producing a high degree of awakening represented by a broad high frequency cortical reactivation associated with organized movements and behavioral reactivity to the environment from two different models of deep pharmacologically-induced coma (PIC): isoflurane (1.25%-1.5%) and induced hypoglycemic coma. Activating aNGC neurons triggered awakening by recruiting cholinergic, noradrenergic, and glutamatergic arousal pathways. In summary, we identify an evolutionarily conserved population of RAS neurons, which broadly restore cerebral cortical activation and motor behavior in rodents through the coordinated activation of multiple arousal-promoting circuits.
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