title: L-NNA suppresses cerebrovascular response and evoked potentials during somatosensory stimulation in rats.
abstract: We studied the local cerebrovascular response and somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) to stimulation of the sciatic nerve during both short- (< 30 min) and long-term (90-150 min) exposure to topically applied NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA). The pial circulation was visualized through a cranial window in alpha-chloralose-anesthetized rats. The diameter of pial arterioles (25-45 microns) and laser-Doppler flow (LDF) in the hindlimb sensory cortex were simultaneously measured during sciatic nerve stimulation. Short-term (< 30 min) treatment with L-NNA (1 mM) abolished the dilation of pial arterioles induced by acetylcholine, whereas the response to sciatic nerve stimulation was not affected. When applied for > 30 min, L-NNA induced severe vasomotion and attenuated the vascular responses to sciatic nerve stimulation. Long-term exposure to topically (1 mM) or systemically (10 mg/kg i.v.) applied L-NNA also attenuated cortical SEPs to sciatic nerve stimulation. Thus L-NNA-induced inhibition of vascular responses may be secondary to suppression of neuronal activity and an L-arginine metabolite, such as nitric oxide, may be involved in neurotransmission in the cerebral cortex during somatosensory activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle 98104, USA.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ngai
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Meno
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Winn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000187:drug effects*; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D019335:Nitroarginine; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019335:Nitroarginine; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase