Roles of periaqueductal gray and nucleus tractus solitarius in cardiorespiratory function in the rat brainstem

Periaqueductal gray (PAG) and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) are important centres for regulation of cardiorespiratory function in cats. We aimed to study the effects of specific PAG stimulation on cardiorespiratory parameters in the rat. Microinjection of D,L-homocysteic acid (DLH) into dorsolateral PAG of anaesthetised rats, led to: marked increases in respiratory frequency (RF) and amplitude of diaphragmatic electromyogram, decreases in inspiratory and expiratory durations, and increased blood pressure and heart rate. Following injection of propranolol (150 pmol, 30 nl), a beta-adrenergic antagonist, into the commissural subnucleus of NTS, the DLH-induced increase in RI: was markedly attenuated. Inspiratory neurones (late I cells) in NTS were excited upon stimulation of PAG and their increased activity was accompanied by increased RF. The changes in activity of the late I cells in response to stimulation of dorsolateral PAG provide physiological evidence of a link, possibly noradrenergic, between the two nuclei and involvement of the NTS in control of respiratory functions orchestrated by the PAG. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.