• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.833-843
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• 1990

Vasomotor areas were identified by stimulating various sites of the medulla electrically in adult cats anesthetized with a-chloralose and their correlation with somatosympathetic pressor or depressor responses was investigated. Followings are the results obtained: 1. Pressor areas were found in the rostral ventrolateral, the caudal ventrolateral and the rostral dorsolateral medulla. 2. Separate depressor areas were found dorsal and ventral to the rostral ventrolateral pressor area. 3. Some areas showed biphasic responses: depressor responses to low frequency[1 \ulcorner2 Hz] and pressor responses to high frequency[20 \ulcorner100 Hz] stimulation 4. Lesions on the rostral ventrolateral pressor areas abolished the somatosympathetic pressor responses to the stimulation of peripheral afferent nerves, while the depressor responses remained. Lesions on the caudal ventrolateral pressor area affected neither the pressor nor depressor responses to the peripheral nerve stimulation. 5. Lesions on the depressor areas resulted in decreased depressor responses to the peripheral nerve stimulation, but to a lesser degree than that resulted from lesions on the pressor areas. 6. A microinjection of glutamate solution to the pressor area resulted in a prolonged pressor response, while glutamate injection to the depressor areas did not elicit depressor responses. From the above results, it is concluded that there are separate pressor and depressor areas in the rostral medulla of cats and each area plays a role in somatosympathetic pressor and depressor responses, respectively.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.66-69
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• 2019

Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is commonly associated with autonomic failure in the peripheral nervous system. Less often it is related to central lesions in brainstem and cerebellum. We describe a patient with OH associated with tuberculosis meningoencephalitis involving the brainstem including rostral ventrolateral medulla. This is the first case of OH resulting from focal lesions in the dorsal medulla in a patient with meningoencephalitis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.211-221
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• 1991

Although the existence of nerve cells which determine the activity of sympathetic nervous system in ventrolateral medulla is advocated recently, there are wide varieties on the location and function of them according to authors. Present study aimed to identify and characterize the medullospinal tract cells in rostral and caudal medulla of cats .which branch to the lateral horn of the upper thoracic spinal cord. Cats were anesthetized with ${\alpha}-chloralose$. The upper thoracic spinal cord and floor of the IVth ventricle were exposed. Medullospinal tract cells in rostral and caudal medulla were identified by anti-dromic stimulation of the intermediolateral nucleus in the upper thoracic cord and then the location and physiological characteristics of these cells were studied. A total of seventy cells in medulla had constant latency and responded to high frequency stimulation to thoracic cord. Among them fifty-six cells were identified as medullospinal tract cells either by collision with spontaneous activities or activities evoked by sciatic nerve stimulation(27/56), or by determining the refractory period (29/56). Thirty-one of these cells branched to the contralateral thoracic spinal cord, twenty-one cells to the ipsilateral side and remaining four cells branched to both sides. The conduction velocity of cells branching to the contralateral side was $29{\pm}2.9\;m/sec$ and that of cells to the ipsilateral side was $39.1{\pm}6.0\;m/sec$. When medulla was devided into two by a horizontal plane at 3 mm rostral to the obex, fifty-one among seventy cells were in the rostral medulla and nineteen were in the caudal medulla. The conduction velocities of these two groups were $21.6{\pm}1.0\;and\;33.3{\pm}3.9\;m/sec$, respectively. In this study, we confirmed the existence of two groups of medullospinal tract cells in rostral and caudal ventrolateral medulla, which branch to the lateral horn of thoracic cord and these cells have relatively few spontaneous activities and rapid conduction velocity, so we concluded that these cells are different from the previously known sympatho-related cells in ventrolateral medulla.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.201-209
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• 1991

The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) has been established recently as a sympathoexcitatory area. The present study was conducted to investigate whether the somatosympathetic pressor and/or depressor responses are mediated through RVLM in cats anesthetized with ${\alpha}-chloralose$. An occipital craniectomy was performed and ventrolateral medulla were stimulated either electrically or chemically to evoke changes in arterial blood pressure. And then the effect of lesions in the ventrolateral medulla on the changes in blood pressure elicited by the peripheral nerve stimulation was observed. Followings are the results obtained: 1) Pressor areas were found in the ventrolateral medulla, lateral reticular nucleus and rostral dorsal area. 2) Depressor areas were found mainly in the ventrolateral medulla rostral to the pressor areas. 3) Some areas showed biphasic responses: a depressor response to lower frequency and a pressor response to higher frequency stimulation. 4) After electrical lesion in pressor area in RVLM, the somatosympathetic pressor response was abolished or depressed markedly. The somatosympathetic depressor response, however, remained after the lesion. 5) Electrical lesion in the depressor area abolished somatosympathetic depressor response. From the above results it is concluded that somatosympathetic pressor response is mediated through RVLM, while somatosympathetic depressor response is not mediated through RVLM.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.75-88
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• 1992

It is well established that neurons in ventrolateral medulla play a key role in determining the vasomotor tone. The purpose of present study is to identify sympathetic related, medullospinal tract neurons in ventrolateral medulla and to show that these mediate somato-sympathetic reflex. Medullospinal tract cells were identified by antidromic stimulation to intermediolateral nucleus (IML) of the second thoracic ($T_2$) spinal cord in anesthetized cats. Peripheral nerves were stimulated for orthodromic activation of these cells and peripheral receptive fields were determined. Post R wave histogram of unit and spike triggered averaging of sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) were used to define sympathetic related cell. A total of 113 neurons was recorded in ventrolateral medulla that had the axonal projections to $T_2$ spinal cord. Thirty four of these medullospinal cells showed spontaneous discharges and the others not. Between these two groups, rostro-caudal coordinate of the distribution from obex [$4.7{\pm}0.2\;$ (mean S.E.) mm, 4.1 0.1 mm], depth from dorsal surface ($5.5{\pm}0.2mm,\;4.9{\pm}0.1mm$ and conduction velocity ($9.9{\pm}1.7m/sec,\;16.7{\pm}1.9\;m/sec$) were significantly different (p<0.05). In spontaneously discharging group, characteristics of rostral and caudal groups were significantly different and we demonstrated that cells in rostral group mediate somatosympathetic reflex. From these results, we conclude that a certain portion of spontaneously discharging medullospinal tract cells in rostral ventrolateral medulla comprise the efferent outputs of somatosympathetic reflex to sympathetic preganglion neurons.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 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 and Pharmacology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 1999

The hyperactivity of cholinergic system in the RVLM of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) may contribute to the sustained elevation of blood pressure. However, the hyperactivity mechanisms of cholinergic system are controversial. Thus, to clarify the mechanisms of cholinergic hyperactivity in RVLM of the SHR, we studied the activities of enzymes that participate in the biosynthesis and degradation of acetylcholine (ACh) and the density of muscarinic receptors in RVLM of the 14- to 18-week-old SHR and age-marched Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). Choline acetyltransferase activity was far greater in RVLM of SHR than that of WKY. $[^3H]ACh$ release from RVLM was also greater in SHR than in WKY. Acetylcholinesterase activity and $[^3H]NMS$ binding of RVLM slice of SHR were not significantly different from that of WKY. These results suggest that the enhanced cholinergic mechanisms in the RVLM of SHR is due to the enhanced presynaptic cholinergic tone rather than the altered postsynaptic mechanisms.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.477-486
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• 1996

Endogenous analgesic systems are known to be activated by peripheral noxious stimulation as well as arterial carbon dioxide elevation. In the present study, neuronal Activities in the rostral ventrolateral med- ulla were identified and classified in according to their rhythmic activities, and their responses to noxious peripheral nerve stimulations before and after elevating the arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure were investigated Using extracellular recording technic, a total of 53 spontaneously active neurons were recorded from the rostral ventrolateral medulla in u-chloralose anesthetized cats. These were classified as cardiovascular (28), respiratory (16), both cardiovascular and respiratory (2) and noncardiovascular - nonrespiratory (7). - Among the 28 cardiovascular neurons eleven showed increased activities during arterial hypercapnia, thirteen showed decreased responses, and four showed no change. Nine respiratory neurons showed increased responses to arterial hypercapnia, six showed decreased responses and one showed no change. neither of the cardiovascular and respiratory neurons showed significant change in its activity during ar- terial hypercapnia, however, four of the noncardiovascular - nonrespiratory neurons exhibited decreased their activities in response to arterial hypercapnia while two exhibited increased activities. Arterial hypercapnia increased the responses of cardiovascular neurons to peripheral nerve stimulation with C-inteniity, while not changing the responses to Ak_stimulation significantly . From the above results it was conclllded that during arterial hypercapnia, some cardiovascular neurons and respiratory neurons have increased activities as well as increased reponses to C-Hber stimulation.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.105-116
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• 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 Physiology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.185-197
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• 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.