Effects of Systemic and Focal Hypoxia on the Activities of Rostral Ventrolateral Medullary Neurons in Cats

Rendering the brain ischemic would evoke the cerebral ischemic reflex which is characterized by an arterial pressor response, apnea and bradycardia. Since the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) is known to play a key role in the maintenance of normal cardiopulmonary activity, during the cerebral ischemic reflex some cardiac related cells should be excited and respiration related cells inhibited. In this context, the responses of RVLM neurons to systemie and focal hypoxia were analyzed in the present study. Twenty-five adult cats of either sex were anesthetized with ${\alpha}-chloralose$ and the single neuronal activities were identified from RVLM area. For the induction of focal hypoxia in the recording site, sodium cyanide was applied iontophoretically and for systemic hypoxia the animal was ventilated with nitrogen gas for a twenty-second period. Cellular activities were analyzed in terms of their discharge pattern and responses to the hypoxia by using post-stimulus time and single-pass time histograms. Of eighteen cardiac related cells recorded from the RVLM area, twelve cells were excited by iontophoresed sodium cyanide and of twenty-five respiration related cells, fourteen cells were excited by iontophoresed sodium cyanide. Remaining cells were either inhibited or unaffected. Eight of fifteen cells tested with iontophoresed sodium lactate were excited and remaining seven cells were inhibited. Systemic hypoxia induced by nitrogen gas inhalation elevated the arterial blood pressure, but excited, inhibited or unaffected the single neuronal activities. Some cells showed initial excitation followed by inhibition during the systemic hypoxia. Bilateral vagotomy resulted in a decrease of arterial pressor response to the systemic hypoxia, and a slight decrease in the rhythmicity related to cardiac and/or respiratory rhythms. The single neuronal responses to either systemic or focal hypoxia were not affected qualitatively by vagotomy. From the above results, it was concluded that the majority of the cardiac- and respiration- related neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla be excited by hypoxia, not through the mediation of peripheral chemoreceptors, and along with the remaining inhibited cells, all these cells be involved in the mediation of cerebral ischemic reflex.