Orexin links emotional stress to autonomic functions.
We studied autonomic functions in orexin-deficient mice and found abnormalities in the emotional state-dependent adjustment of the central autonomic regulation on circulation and respiration. These are summarized as follows. 1) Orexin-deficient mice exposed to a stressor exhibited an attenuated fight-or-flight response, including increases in respiration and blood pressure and stress-induced analgesia. 2) Stimulation to the amygdala (AMG) or the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), both of which are implicated in the stress-induced autonomic responses, induced long-lasting cardiorespiratory excitation in wild-type mice but not in the orexin neuron-ablated mice. Hence, it is likely that the orexin system is one of the essential modulators required for orchestrating the neural circuits controlling autonomic functions and emotional behaviors.
Kuwaki
Tomoyuki
T
Department of Physiology, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Sakuragaoka 8-35-1, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan. kuwaki@m3.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D000068797:Orexins; D051381:Rats; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D000068797:Orexins