title: Activation of slowly conducting medullary raphe-spinal neurons, including serotonergic neurons, increases cutaneous sympathetic vasomotor discharge in rabbit.
abstract: Neurons in the rostral medullary raphe/parapyramidal region regulate cutaneous sympathetic nerve discharge. Using focal electrical stimulation at different dorsoventral raphe/parapyramidal sites in anesthetized rabbits, we have now demonstrated that increases in ear pinna cutaneous sympathetic nerve discharge can be elicited only from sites within 1 mm of the ventral surface of the medulla. By comparing the latency to sympathetic discharge following stimulation at the ventral raphe site with the corresponding latency following stimulation of the spinal cord [third thoracic (T3) dorsolateral funiculus] we determined that the axonal conduction velocity of raphe-spinal neurons exciting ear pinna sympathetic vasomotor nerves is 0.8 +/- 0.1 m/s (n = 6, range 0.6-1.1 m/s). Applications of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (HT)(2A) antagonist trans-4-((3Z)3-[(2-dimethylaminoethyl)oxyimino]-3-(2-fluorophenyl)propen-1-yl)-phenol, hemifumarate (SR-46349B, 80 microg/kg in 0.8 ml) to the cerebrospinal fluid above thoracic spinal cord (T1-T7), but not the lumbar spinal cord (L2-L4), reduced raphe-evoked increases in ear pinna sympathetic vasomotor discharge from 43 +/- 9 to 16 +/- 6% (P < 0.01, n = 8). Subsequent application of the excitatory amino acid (EAA) antagonist kynurenic acid (25 micromol in 0.5 ml) substantially reduced the remaining evoked discharge (22 +/- 8 to 6 +/- 6%, P < 0.05, n = 5). Our conduction velocity data demonstrate that only slowly conducting raphe-spinal axons, in the unmyelinated range, contribute to sympathetic cutaneous vasomotor discharge evoked by electrical stimulation of the medullary raphe/parapyramidal region. Our pharmacological data provide evidence that raphe-spinal neurons using 5-HT as a neurotransmitter contribute to excitation of sympathetic preganglionic neurons regulating cutaneous vasomotor discharge. Raphe-spinal neurons using an EAA, perhaps glutamate, make a substantial contribution to the ear sympathetic nerve discharge evoked by raphe stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Physiology, School of Medicine, Flinders University., Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia. yoichiro.otsuka@flinders.edu.au.
authors.forename: Youichirou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ootsuka
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Blessing
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005464:Fluorobenzenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D007736:Kynurenic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000502:physiology; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010636:Phenols / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A / Q000187:drug effects; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D010636:Phenols; D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; C076033:SR 46349B; D012701:Serotonin; D007736:Kynurenic Acid