title: Pressor-induced responses of the cat ventral medullary surface.
abstract: We examined ventral medullary surface activity using light reflectance procedures after blood pressure alterations induced by phenylephrine or sodium nitroprusside in 23 pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized cats. Images of reflected 660-nm light were collected and digitized at 1- to 3-s intervals after baseline and intravenous saline, 5-40 micrograms/kg phenylephrine, or sodium nitroprusside infusion. Carotid sinus nerve denervation (CSD) and bilateral vagotomy were performed in five and three animals, respectively, and challenges were repeated. Phenylephrine elicited a dose-dependent transient blood pressure elevation and reflectance increase (interpreted as activity decline) over the entire ventral medullary surface examined. The increase consisted of an initial rapid transient component, peaking at 45 s, and a 3- to 5-min recovery. CSD enhanced, and vagotomy substantially reduced, the initial transient response to phenylephrine. Sodium nitroprusside-induced lowering of blood pressure was associated with decreased reflectance in rostral sites and increased reflectance in caudal regions. CSD abolished a late component and diminished amplitude of an initial rapidly rising component of changes induced by nitroprusside, a decline further accentuated by addition of vagotomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine 90024.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gozal
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aljadeff
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: X W
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rector
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002346:Carotid Sinus / Q000294:innervation; D002415:Cats; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects; D003714:Denervation; D005260:Female; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D014628:Vagotomy
chemical_list: D009599:Nitroprusside; D010656:Phenylephrine