Neuroscience research
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Neuroscience research · Dec 2009
Vasopressin and sympathetic systems mediate the cardiovascular effects of the GABAergic system in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) is an important part of the limbic system. It has been shown that chemical stimulation of the BST elicited cardiovascular depressive and bradycardic responses. It was also demonstrated that GABA is present in the BST, though its role in cardiovascular control is not yet understood. ⋯ This suggests that the sympathetic system is involved in the bradycardic effect of GABA. On the other hand, administration (i.v.) of a selective vasopressin V(1) receptor antagonist abolished the pressor effect of BMI, which indicates that the GABAergic system of the BST decreases the arterial pressure via tonic inhibition of vasopressin release. In summary, we demonstrated, for the first time, that GABA exerts its influence in the BST through the activation of GABA(A), but not GABA(B), receptors that, in turn, tonically inhibit vasopressin release and sympathetic outflow to the heart.
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Neuroscience research · Nov 2009
Expression of the TRPM8-immunoreactivity in dorsal root ganglion neurons innervating the rat urinary bladder.
The neurochemical phenotypes of the transient receptor potential melastatin-8 (TRPM8)-immunoreactive afferent neurons innervating the rat urinary bladder were examined by using a highly sensitive tyramide signal amplification method, combined with wheat-germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) retrograde tracing. TRPM8-immunoreactivity was detected in a small proportion of the WGA-HRP-labeled bladder afferent neurons in the dorsal root ganglia of the Th13-L1 (1.14%) and the L6-S1 (1.27%), and these neurons were small in size (<600 microm(2)). ⋯ On the other hand, the proportions of the co-expression of TRPM8 and nociceptive markers such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1), and isolectin B4 (IB4) in the bladder afferent neurons (81.5+/-5.2% for CGRP, 36.1+/-4.0% for TRPV1, and 15.8+/-5.5% for IB4) were higher in comparison to those in the total population of the TRPM8-immunoreactive afferent neurons (21.9+/-2.4% for CGRP, 16.6+/-1.7% for TRPV1, and 5.4+/-0.5% for IB4), although no significant difference existed for IB4. Our results suggest that the TRPM8-expressing bladder afferents should be classified as Adelta-fibers and C-fibers, while some of these afferents may be involved in nociceptive sensations.
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Neuroscience research · Oct 2009
Theophylline attenuates hippocampal blood flow responses induced by tooth pulp stimulation in rats.
In this study, we performed tests to determine whether tooth pulp stimulation (TPS) increases hippocampal blood flow (HBF), and if so, to investigate whether the increase in HBF is mediated via the activation of adenosine receptors. We measured HBF in urethane-anesthetized rats using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and examined the effect of theophylline, a nonselective adenosine receptor antagonist, on TPS-induced HBF responses. TPS increased HBF, and its response was significantly attenuated by the intraperitoneal administration of theophylline (20 mg/kg). These results suggest that the HBF response induced by TPS may be, at least in part, produced through adenosine receptors.
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Neuroscience research · Aug 2009
Thiamylal antagonizes the inhibitory effects of dorsal column stimulation on dorsal horn activities in humans.
In humans, peripheral somatosensory information converges upon dorsal horn neurons in the spinal cord, which can be recorded from the dorsal epidural space as spinal cord potentials (SCPs) following segmental dorsal root stimulation (SS) employing epidural catheter electrodes. Antidromic action potentials and descending inhibition from the dorsolateral funiculus may contribute to SCPs following dorsal column stimulation (DCS). Effects of thiamylal (2.5-7.5 mg/kg, i.v.) on SCPs evoked by independent DCS or SS were compared with those evoked by simultaneous DCS and SS (DCS/SS). ⋯ In awake subjects, N and P potentials produced by simultaneous DCS/SS were significantly smaller than the sum of independent responses. Thiamylal anesthesia antagonized this inhibition; responses to simultaneous DCS/SS were larger than the sum of independent responses. These results suggest that in wakefulness DCS inhibits dorsal horn neuron activity in the lumbar spinal cord, while thiamylal antagonizes DCS-induced inhibition in dose-dependent fashion.
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Neuroscience research · Aug 2009
Angiopoietin-1 induces neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells in a Tie2-independent, beta1-integrin-dependent manner.
Overexpression of angiopoietin (Ang) 1 in the brain results in increased vascularization and altered neuronal dendrite configuration. We hypothesized that Ang1 acts directly on neurons inducing neurite outgrowth. We stimulated PC12 cells with Ang1 and observed outgrowth levels comparable to nerve growth factor (NGF). ⋯ Conversely, NGF stimulation had no effect on FAK phosphorylation but led to a approximately 3.1 and approximately 2 fold increase in phosphorylation of MAPK and JNK. Ang1, but not NGF-mediated outgrowth was attenuated following functional inhibition of beta1-integrin and FAK, and Wortmannin inhibited neurite outgrowth mediated by both. Our results suggest that Ang1 induces neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells in a Tie2-independent, beta1-integrin-FAK-PI3K-Akt-dependent manner and that NGF and Ang1 mediate neurite outgrowth via two independent signaling mechanisms.