title: Increase in sympathetic outflow by paraventricular nucleus stimulation in awake rats.
abstract: Our previous studies demonstrated that stimulation of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in anesthetized rats evoked a depressor response accompanied with a decrease in sympathetic outflow (H. Kannan, A. Niijima, and H. Yamashita, J. Auton. Nerv. Syst. 19: 83-86, 1987; H. Yamashita, H. Kannan, M. Kasai, and T. Osaka, J. Auton. Nerv. Syst. 19: 229-234, 1987). Because anesthesia may alter cardiovascular responses, we examined in conscious rats the effects of PVN stimulation on arterial pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity. Electrical stimulation through chronically implanted electrodes evoked increases in arterial pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity with a slight decrease in heart rate. The magnitude of responses was dependent on the frequency and the intensity of the stimulus. Latency of the excitatory response of the renal sympathetic nerve activity was approximately 70 ms. Microinjection of L-glutamate (0.5 M, 200 nl) into the PVN area also elicited increases in blood pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity. These results suggest that activation of PVN neurons in conscious rats produces pressor responses due to an increase in the sympathetic outflow. These findings contrast with those obtained previously in anesthetized rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kannan
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamashita
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006339:Heart Rate; D018738:Hexamethonium; D006584:Hexamethonium Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D007668:Kidney / Q000294:innervation; D008297:Male; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014851:Wakefulness
chemical_list: D006584:Hexamethonium Compounds; D009599:Nitroprusside; D010656:Phenylephrine; D018738:Hexamethonium