Ventrolateral lesions at the ponto-medullary junction and the effects of noradrenaline on respiratory rhythm in rat brainstem-spinal cord preparations.
OBJECTIVE
We examined whether responses of respiratory frequency (fR) to noradrenaline (NA) were eliminated by mechanical lesions in the ventrolateral area at the ponto-medullary junction in preparations of newborn rat pons-medulla-spinal cord (PMS).


METHODS
Preparations obtained from 2- to 4-day-old rats were superfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid that was equilibrated with oxygenated (95% O2 plus 5% CO2 gas, and fR was monitored at the C4 ventral root at 24 degrees C. Bilateral lesions were made in the ventrolateral area between the VIth cranial nerve root and the anterior inferior cerebellar artery in PMS (n=11). The resting fR and response to exogenous NA (7 microM) were compared with those of medulla-spinal cord (MS) preparations (n=6). Immunohistochemistry of PMS preparations was performed to detect tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons at the ponto-medullary junction.


RESULTS
PMS preparations with the lesions had (1) a significantly higher resting fR but 2 significantly less fR facilitation after NA application than those of intact PMS preparations, and (3) significantly lower resting fR and (4) significantly less fR reduction after NA application than those of MS preparations. TH-positive neurons were detected in the region from the rostral dorsolateral to the caudal ventrolateral pons (the A5 area), as well as in the ventral area near the facial nucleus.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that ventrolateral area at ponto-medullary junction plays a significant role in exogenous NA-induced fR changes under the influence of pons-induced tonic fR inhibition in newborn rat brainstem-spinal cord preparations.
Ito
Yasuo
Y
Department of Physiology, Nippon Dental University, School of Life Dentistry at Tokyo, 1-9-20, Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8159, Japan.
Saiki
Chikako
C
Makino
Masaya
M
Matsumoto
Shigeji
S
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011149:Pons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D009638:Norepinephrine