Measuring cholinergic sensitivity: II. Arecoline effects on metabolic activity in pontine regions of rat brain.
Brain imaging studies may help to localize areas particularly sensitive to cholinergic agonists. A study in rats using the 2-deoxyglucose method for studying changes in brain metabolic activity was performed. Among regions in the pons/medulla, arecoline, 0.05 mg/kg ip, increased glucose utilization in the dorsal raphe, median raphe, and basilar pontine nuclei without producing behavioral or cardiovascular effects. These brain areas, along with the hippocampus, may be pertinent to studies of muscarinic supersensitivity in humans.
Soncrant
T T
TT
Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD.
Nurnberger
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001115:Arecoline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000378:metabolism; D011149:Pons / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000187:drug effects*; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000187:drug effects; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000187:drug effects
D001786:Blood Glucose; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; D001115:Arecoline; D003847:Deoxyglucose