• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.185-197
• /
• 1993

The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) includes vasopressor neurons, which transmit activation signals to the intermediolateral nucleus (IML) of the spinal cord, where the preganglionic sympathetic nucleus is located, to raise arterial blood pressure (BP). However, controversy exists as to the possible depressor area in the RVLM and the pathway involved. The present study persued evidence far the location of depressor neurons and the pathway by simultaneously observing changes in BP and the firing rate (FR) of cardiovascular neurons (CVNs) in the RVLM during the somatosympathetic reflex (SSR) elicited by peripheral nerve stimulation, since CVNs are known to contribute to the generation of the sympathetic nerve discharge. In 42 cats, anaesthetized with $\alpha-chloralose$, single unit recording was performed, using carbon filament electrodes inserted into the RVLM, enabling estimation of the post R wave unit histogram (PR-UNlT) and the spike triggered average of sympathetic nerve discharge (STA-SND), allowing identification of CVNs. Antidromic stimulation of spinal $T_2$ segment was followed to determine whether the identified CVN projects axonal endings to the spinal cord (reticulospinal neuron). The sciatic nerve was electrically stimulated at $A\delta-intensity$ (1 mA, 0.1 ms), 1 Hz and C-intensity (10 mA, 0.5 ms), 20 Hz to elicit the depressor, and pressor responses of the SSR, respectively. Simultaneous measurement of CVN firing rate was made. Experimental results are summarized as follows. 1) 20 out of 98 CVNs had axonal projections to the spinal cord and 17 out of 98 CVNs showed FR changes during SSR. 2) Response patterns of FR and BP during SSR were classified into 8 types. 3) These 8 different response patterns could be further classified into those from pressor and depressor neurons. These results demonstrate that some CVNs were identifiable as reticulospinal neurons responding to anti-dromic stimulation and that CVNs operating as depressor neurons as well as pressor neurons exist in the RVLM, both of which are involved with SSR mediation. Therefore, evidence was found that an independent depressor pathway might be involved in the mediation of SSR.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.79-84
• /
• 1996

A number of experimental evidences suggest that the rnun ventrolateral medulla(RVLM) is the final common pathway in the regulation of arterial blood pressure. A Voup of neurons in the RVLM, called the cardiovascular neurons (UN), show spontaneous activity temporally synchronized with the periodic cardiac cycle. These neurons affect the sympathetic nerve discharge(SND), thus are believed to be responsible for blood pressure control. The present experiment identified 98 UVNs in 42 cats based on the temporal relationships between each neuron's activity with both the cardiac cycle and SWD. In 20 UWL changes of spontaneous firing rate(FR) during the somatosympathetic reflex(SSR) were studied Five different firing patterns were observed during the pressor and depressor responses of SSR, implying that they form an interconnected neuronal circuit interacting with one another to generate efferent signals for blood pressure regulation. In the following companion paper, the firing patterns of CVN are analyzed to develop a minimal neuronal circuit model explaining the present experimental outcome.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.71-80
• /
• 1996

A number of experimental evidences suggest that the rnun ventrolateral medulla(RVLM) is the final common pathway in the regulation of arterial blood pressure. A Voup of neurons in the RVLM, called the cardiovascular neurons (UN), show spontaneous activity temporally synchronized with the periodic cardiac cycle. These neurons affect the sympathetic nerve discharge(SND), thus are believed to be responsible for blood pressure control. The present experiment identified 98 UVNs in 42 cats based on the temporal relationships between each neuron's activity with both the cardiac cycle and SWD. In 20 UWL changes of spontaneous firing rate(FR) during the somatosympathetic reflex(SSR) were studied Five different firing patterns were observed during the pressor and depressor responses of SSR, implying that they form an interconnected neuronal circuit interacting with one another to generate efferent signals for blood pressure regulation. In the following companion paper, the firing patterns of CVN are analyzed to develop a minimal neuronal circuit model explaining the present experimental outcome.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.105-116
• /
• 1996

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.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.19-34
• /
• 1977

1) The relationship of arterial blood pressure and heart rate with raised intracranial pressure induced by the epidural balloon method was investigated in anesthetized rabbits and cats. 2) In both animals marked increase of the blood pressure was observed when the intracranial pressure became close to the blood pressure. 3) In both animals marked decrease in the blood pressure and transitory marked decrease in the heart rate were observed, when the level of the intracranial pressure exceeded that of the blood pressure. 4) In reserpinized animals raised intracranial pressure produced decrease in the blood pressure and heart rate. 5) During raised intracranial pressure, the 6-hydroxydopamine-treated (by intracerebral administration) animals showed increase of the blood pressure less than control animals. 6) The depressor response to raised intracranial pressure in the reserpinized animals was reversed to the marked pressor one by the administration of norepinephrine into the lateral ventricle. 7) These results suggest that the pressor response to raised intracranial pressure is due to the increase of norepinephrine release resulted from local stimulation of the central sympathetic neurons by the raised intracranial pressure.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.181-194
• /
• 1990

Antidromically activated spinoreticular tract (SRT) cell units in the lumbosacral enlargement of ${\alpha}-chloralose$ anesthetized cats were classified as medial and lateral SRT units according to the location of their axonal termination. Identified SRT units were tested fer antidromic conduction velocity, laterality of their axonal projection, the location in spinal gray, peripheral receptive field, the response pattern to graded mechanichal stimulation and the responsiveness to $A{\delta}$ and C volley of the peripheral nerve. 1) The 59% of 34 medial SRT units were recorded in ipsilateral side to the antidromic stimulation site, but 60% of the 47 lateral SRT units projected to contralateral side. 2) Most of the medial SRT cells and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM)-projecting lateral SRT cells were recorded in lamina VII & VIII. The LRN (lateral reticular nucleus)-projecting SRT cells, however, distributed through all the laminae except superficial ones (I & II). 3) The identified SRT units were classified as low theshold (LT), deep, high threshold (HT), wide dynamic range (WDR) cells, based on the response patterns to graded mechanical stimuli. The proportion of SRT units which receive noxious input was 37.5%, 25% and 75% in the medial, LRN-projecting and RVLM SRT group, respectively. 4) There was no significant difference in the mean conduction velocities between the 3 groups. But the deep cells had significantly higher velocity than that of the HT cells. The above results show that the peripheral inputs to the SRT units are different in the 3 groups: medial, LRN & RVLM SRT group. Especially in case of the SRT cells projecting to RVLM which is a probable candidate fur the integration center of various pressor reflexes such as somatosympathetic reflex, the noxious informations occupy higher proportion of input to them than in other groups. Therefore the noxious information transmitted through the lateral SRT destined for RVLM is expected to play a role in somatosymapthetic reflex.