title: Imaging of VMS activity during blood pressure challenges in awake and anesthetized goats.
abstract: We examined scattered-light changes in a rostral ventral medullary surface (VMS) area from five goats after blood pressure challenges during waking and halothane anesthesia. Reflected 660-nm images were digitized at 1/s after baseline; intravenous saline; 5, 10, or 15 micrograms/kg phenylephrine administration; or sodium nitroprusside infusion sufficient to lower blood pressure by 50%. Phenylephrine elicited a dose-dependent, blood pressure elevation during both states and a substantial transient reflectance increase (interpreted as activity decline) during anesthesia, but only a minimal, long-latency, slow-reflectance decrease activity increase) during waking. Sodium nitroprusside elicited lowering of blood pressure and decreased reflectance in the rostral site during anesthesia. The magnitude of the reflectance change to depressor challenge increased 30%, and the onset latency shortened during waking. Isolated regions of enhanced reflectance changes appeared during both challenges. Activity in this rostral VMS site differentially responds to blood pressure elevation or lowering, and state markedly alters the responses. We speculate that VMS responses to depressor challenge represent reflex activation of respiratory regions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine 90095-1763, USA.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gozal
authors.forename: H V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ohtake
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Lowry
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rector
mesh_terms: D000768:Anesthesia, General; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006041:Goats; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000502:physiology*; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D014520:Urethane; D014851:Wakefulness
chemical_list: D009599:Nitroprusside; D010656:Phenylephrine; D014520:Urethane; D012965:Sodium Chloride