TY - JOUR
T1 - Neurons of nucleus of the solitary tract synchronize the EEG and elevate cerebral blood flow via a novel medullary area
AU - Golanov, Eugene V.
AU - Reis, Donald J.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by NIH grants NS36154 (EVG) and HL18974 (DJR).
Copyright:
Copyright 2007 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2001/2/16
Y1 - 2001/2/16
N2 - In anesthetized spinalized rat, electrical stimulation of the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) synchronizes the EEG by increasing the power of 4-6-Hz waves (>100%; P<0.01), and elevates cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by 18±5% (P<0.05). The coordinated response appears within seconds, is global, reversible, graded, evoked from the commissural sub-nucleus, and replicated by L-glutamate. The responses are markedly reduced by bilateral lesions or muscimol microinjections restricted to a region of ventral medullary reticular formation, the medullary cerebral vasodilator area (MCVA), a region from which stimulation elicits identical responses and mediates the comparable responses to hypoxic/ischemic excitation of sympathoexcitatory neurons of rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). We conclude that: (a) excitation of intrinsic neurons of commissural NTS synchronizes the EEG and coordinately elevates rCBF; (b) the responses are mediated by excitation of neurons in MCVA; (c) the MCVA may be a common final pathway mediating cerebrovascular and EEG responses from multiple areas of CNS; and (d) the NTS-MCVA pathway may be a part of the anatomical substrate for behaviors, including slow-wave sleep and seizure suppression evoked by stimulation of visceral afferents terminating in NTS.
AB - In anesthetized spinalized rat, electrical stimulation of the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) synchronizes the EEG by increasing the power of 4-6-Hz waves (>100%; P<0.01), and elevates cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by 18±5% (P<0.05). The coordinated response appears within seconds, is global, reversible, graded, evoked from the commissural sub-nucleus, and replicated by L-glutamate. The responses are markedly reduced by bilateral lesions or muscimol microinjections restricted to a region of ventral medullary reticular formation, the medullary cerebral vasodilator area (MCVA), a region from which stimulation elicits identical responses and mediates the comparable responses to hypoxic/ischemic excitation of sympathoexcitatory neurons of rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). We conclude that: (a) excitation of intrinsic neurons of commissural NTS synchronizes the EEG and coordinately elevates rCBF; (b) the responses are mediated by excitation of neurons in MCVA; (c) the MCVA may be a common final pathway mediating cerebrovascular and EEG responses from multiple areas of CNS; and (d) the NTS-MCVA pathway may be a part of the anatomical substrate for behaviors, including slow-wave sleep and seizure suppression evoked by stimulation of visceral afferents terminating in NTS.
KW - Cerebral blood flow
KW - EEG
KW - Nucleus tractus solitarius
KW - Rostral ventrolateral medulla
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035895818&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0035895818&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0006-8993(00)02949-8
DO - 10.1016/S0006-8993(00)02949-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 11172744
AN - SCOPUS:0035895818
VL - 892
SP - 1
EP - 12
JO - Brain Research
JF - Brain Research
SN - 0006-8993
IS - 1
ER -