title: Sexual dimorphism of cardiopulmonary regulation in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus.
abstract: The arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ANH) interacts with other hypothalamic nuclei, forebrain regions, and downstream brain sites to affect autonomic nervous system outflow, energy balance, temperature regulation, sleep, arousal, neuroendocrine function, reproduction, and cardiopulmonary regulation. Compared to studies of other ANH functions, how the ANH regulates cardiopulmonary function is less understood. Importantly, the ANH exhibits structural and functional sexually dimorphic characteristics and contains numerous neuroactive substances and receptors including leptin, neuropeptide Y, glutamate, acetylcholine, endorphins, orexin, kisspeptin, insulin, Agouti-related protein, cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript, dopamine, somatostatin, components of renin-angiotensin system and gamma amino butyric acid that modulate physiological functions. Moreover, several clinically relevant disorders are associated with ANH ventilatory control dysfunction. This review highlights how ANH neurotransmitter systems and receptors modulate breathing differently in male and female rodents. Results highlight the significance of the ANH in cardiopulmonary regulation. The paucity of studies in this area that will hopefully spark investigations of sexually dimorphic ANH-modulation of breathing.
authors.affiliation: Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St., Vermillion, SD, 57069, United States. Electronic address: Evelyn.Schlenker@usd.edu.
authors.forename: Evelyn H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Schlenker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D012119:Respiration; D012727:Sex Characteristics
keywords: Arcuate nucleus; Control of breathing; Sexual dimorphism