title: Rostral parvicellular reticular formation neurons projecting to rostral ventrolateral medulla receive cardiac inputs in anesthetized rats.
abstract: The rostral parvicellular reticular formation (rRFp) was explored electrophysiologically in urethane-chloralose anesthetized rats. Spontaneously-active neurons that exhibited a pulse-related activity were recorded and tested for their projections to the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). About one-third (10/29) of the rRFp neurons that exhibited a pulse-related activity were antidromically activated by RVLM stimulation with conduction velocities between 0.2-4.4m/s and fell within the B and C fibre range. A majority (8/10) of these neurons had a low (<10spikes/s) mean firing rate, whereas a small proportion (2/10) had a high (>15spikes/s) mean firing rate. These findings suggest a direct pathway from the rRFp to the RVLM and suggest that neurons projecting to the RVLM receive cardiac inputs and can modulate RVLM neuronal activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, The Nippon Dental University School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, 1-8 Hamaura-cho, Niigata 951-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oskutyte
authors.forename: Ken'ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishizuka
authors.forename: Yoshihide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Toshiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murakami
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation*; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012154:Reticular Formation / Q000166:cytology*