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Query: UMLS:C0020538 (hypertension)
170,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Morphological and pharmacological evidence suggest that the dense GABAergic innervation of the supraoptic nucleus is important for regulating the electrical activity of vasopressin and oxytocin neurons. We have employed the technique of intracranial microdialysis to examine extracellular GABA concentrations in the supraoptic nucleus of the anaesthetized rat and questioned whether differences exist in the dynamics of GABA release between virgin and lactating rats, and if events during lactation or following blood pressure manipulation alter endogenous GABA levels in this nucleus. No significant differences were detected between virgin and lactating animals in either basal or 100 mM potassium ion-evoked GABA release. The inclusion of the GABA uptake blocker nipecotic acid (0.5 mM) into the dialysate resulted in a six- to eight-fold increase (P < 0.01) in GABA outflow in both groups of animals. In lactating rats, GABA outflow measured at 4 min intervals was not altered during a 60 min period of suckling by a full litter of pups and no significant change in GABA outflow was detected in relation to individual milk ejections. In virgin rats, removal of 1.5-2 ml of blood resulted in a 30-60 mmHg fall in blood pressure and a non-significant decline in GABA outflow. Replacement of blood resulted in an abrupt 50 mmHg increase in blood pressure and a significant 22% increase in GABA outflow (P < 0.01), but no change in aspartate or methionine concentrations. Repeated intravenous injections of the alpha-adrenoceptor agonist, metaraminol, similarly evoked approximately 50 mmHg increments in blood pressure and a 26% increase in GABA outflow (P < 0.05). Electrical stimulation of the diagonal band of Broca for 10 min produced a two-fold increase in GABA outflow from the supraoptic nucleus (P < 0.05). These results show that the overall profile of basal and potassium-stimulated GABA concentrations in the supraoptic nucleus is not substantially different between lactating and virgin rats. In lactating animals we have found that GABA levels are not altered in response to suckling or at the time of high-frequency firing by oxytocin neurons to induce milk ejection. In contrast, our data further support the hypothesis that GABA inputs to supraoptic neurons are part of a baroreceptor reflex, relaying through the diagonal band of Broca, to signal periods of acute hypertension and inhibit the firing of vasopressin neurons. Such observations suggest the physiological importance of GABA inputs to the supraoptic nuclei and indicate that GABA may be used in a stimulus-specific manner to influence the activity of magnocellular neurons.
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PMID:Extracellular GABA concentrations in rat supraoptic nucleus during lactation and following haemodynamic changes: an in vivo microdialysis study. 789 64

Previous studies demonstrated that stimulation of type B gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAB) receptors but not type A (GABAA) receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarius of spontaneously hypertensive rats elicited a larger increase in arterial pressure compared with control rats of the Wistar-Kyoto strain. The present studies extended that observation by examining the cardiovascular response to injection into the nucleus tractus solitarius of a selective GABAB receptor antagonist, CGP 35348, in these strains as well as examining the cardiovascular responses to stimulation or blockade of GABAB receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarius in another model of hypertension, the rat treated with deoxycorticosterone acetate and salt. In both groups of hypertensive rats the pressor response to injection into the nucleus tractus solitarius of the GABA uptake blocking drug nipecotic acid was significantly greater compared with control rats (P < .01 in each model). Similarly, in both models of hypertension, the depressor response elicited by blockade of GABAB receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarius by injection of CGP 35348 was approximately 75% greater compared with control rats (P < .05 in each model). These results suggest that alterations in GABAB-mediated neural transmission in the nucleus tractus solitarius may contribute to the elevated arterial pressure observed in these models of hypertension.
Hypertension 1993 Dec
PMID:Enhanced gamma-aminobutyric acid-mediated responses in nucleus tractus solitarius of hypertensive rats. 790 34

The intrathecal application of the GABA-B agonist baclofen has become more and more popular for severe spinal spasticity. Since it was first introduced in 1984 more than 1000 patients worldwide have been treated by this method, using an implantable drug administration device. Clinical data from 48 patients are presented, as well as further experience from a multicentre trial conducted in Europe, in conjunction with a literature overview. The method is now generally accepted as a powerful treatment for spasticity due to spinal lesions of whatever aetiology; improvement in mobility and function as well as relief of spastic pain are the most obvious benefits for the patient. Bladder function is improved in terms of increased bladder volume and lowered residual volume. In patients with supraspinal lesions causing muscle hypertension, where several mechanisms usually contribute besides hyper-reflexia (spasticity), the response has been less pronounced, but intrathecal baclofen still seems to have clinical effects that are superior to those of any oral drug treatment. The initial technical and methodical problems have been solved and today the procedure is generally assessed as safe.
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PMID:Intrathecal baclofen. 814 75

The lateral hypothalamus (LH) is involved in the central integration of fluid and electrolyte balance. Several studies have suggested a role for norepinephrine (NE) in these functions. In previous studies we presented evidence in support of a modulatory role for NE within the LH circuitry. Specifically, NE facilitated responses of LH cells to synaptic inputs and putative transmitters. In the present studies, we examined the influence of NE on the response of LH neurons to the inhibitory amino acid transmitter GABA. Neuronal responses were studied in normal, DOCA hypertensive, and 1% NaCl diet (HSD)-treated rats. Male rats were uninephrectomized and received a DOCA implant (200 mg/kg). They were given 1% NaCl and 0.1% KCl in their drinking water (4-6 weeks). HSD rats received the same treatment, except that no DOCA was given. Extracellularly recorded responses from single LH neurons to iontophoretic pulses (5-50 nA; 10 s duration) of GABA were examined before, during and after NE microiontophoresis (5-50 nA) in anesthetized rats. The results indicated a shift of NE modulatory action from potentiating to antagonizing GABA-induced inhibition. In control rats, NE routinely potentiated GABA depressant responses (19 of 26, 73%), whereas in HSD rats the ability of NE to enhance GABA responses was reduced to 33% of the cases tested (10 of 30). Likewise, NE did not augment, but rather antagonized GABA inhibition in the majority of cells recorded (21 of 35, 60%) from DOCA hypertensive rats. The beta agonist isoproterenol was still capable of potentiating GABA inhibition of LH cells in HSD and DOCA treated animals, suggesting that the change in the capacity of NE to enhance GABA action is not a result of alterations in beta receptor function, but could arise from a modification of the ratio between alpha- and beta-adrenoceptors. NE modulating capability was also altered-in LH neurons responsive to experimentally induced changes in blood pressure. In summary, these findings suggest that chronic HSD and DOCA treatments can alter the modulatory capacities of NE within the LH. These alterations in noradrenergic action within hypothalamic cardiovascular centers might affect the way neurons respond to afferent baroreceptor information, as well as the way they control sympathetic and parasympathetic effector mechanisms. A decrease in the inhibitory capacities of GABA transmission in these areas, due to alterations of NE, may play a role in the genesis of hypertension.
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PMID:Alterations in noradrenergic physiological characteristics with DOCA-hypertension: interaction between norepinephrine and GABA in rat lateral hypothalamus. 818 73

Previous studies indicate a tonic GABAergic inhibitory mechanism in the posterior hypothalamus (PH) contributes to modulating cardiovascular activity. Blockade of GABA receptors on neurons in this area elicits an increase in sympathetic discharge, arterial pressure, and heart rate. It has been proposed that a deficit in this inhibitory system may be responsible for the elevated pressure in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). The purpose of this study was to determine if the spontaneous neuronal activity in the posterior hypothalamus of spontaneously hypertensive rats differs from that of age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Single unit, extracellular recordings of posterior hypothalamic neurons were performed on both in vivo and in vitro preparations. The spontaneous firing rate of posterior hypothalamic neurons in the anesthetized adult SHR was significantly higher (3.66 +/- 0.55 Hz) compared to that of the anesthetized adult WKY rat (2.11 +/- 0.29 Hz). Moreover, more of the neurons in the anesthetized SHR (38%) had a bursting discharge pattern than in the WKY (16%). In order to exclude inputs from peripheral receptors or other brain areas, an in vitro preparation was used. Neurons from both young and adult SHRs also had an increased spontaneous discharge rate and higher percentage of burster-type cells in the posterior hypothalamus compared to neurons from age-matched WKYs in the brain slice preparation. Both the in vivo and in vitro findings support the possibility that an elevated neuronal activity in the posterior hypothalamus, a known pressor area, of the SHR contributes to the development and/or maintenance of hypertension in this animal model.
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PMID:Augmented neuronal activity in the hypothalamus of spontaneously hypertensive rats. 842 Jun 34

Previous studies have suggested that a decreased inhibitory input onto neurons within the posterior hypothalamus (PH), a known pressor area, may contribute to hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). Recent experiments from this laboratory have shown that neurons in the PH of the SHR have an altered and elevated discharge frequency compared to those in the normotensive rat. In addition, biochemical studies have reported that there is a decreased concentration of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, in the hypothalamus of the SHR. The objective of the present study was to assess any variations in GABAergic modulation of cardiovascular activity in SHRs compared to normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Arterial pressure and heart rate responses to microinjections of the GABA synthesis inhibitor 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MP) into the posterior hypothalamic area of anesthetized young (6-8 weeks) and mature (11-16 weeks) hypertensive and normotensive rats were recorded. Microinjection of 3-MP elicited increases in arterial pressure of 17.4 +/- 3.9 mmHg, 18.1 +/- 7.8 mmHg, 16.9 +/- 6.4 mmHg, and 10.4 +/- 3.5 mmHg in the mature WKY, mature SD, young WKY, and young SHR, respectively. In addition, heart rate was elevated by 33.2 +/- 21.9 beats/min, 70.0 +/- 25.3 beats/min, 56.3 +/- 15.0 beats/min and, 45.9 +/- 10 beats/min in the mature WKY, adult SD, young WKY, and young SHR groups, respectively. In contrast, microinjection of 3-MP into the posterior hypothalamus of adult SHRs produced no significant change in arterial pressure (-5.0 +/- 1.8 mmHg) or heart rate (+5.3 +/- 6.1 beats/min).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Cardiovascular responses to blockade of GABA synthesis in the hypothalamus of the spontaneously hypertensive rat. 849 74

We have explored probable neurotransmitter roles of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) in baroreceptor reflex and blood pressure regulation in depressor sites of the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) and the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM), and in pressor sites of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) in anesthetized rats. During microdialysis of these three areas, the basal L-DOPA release is in part tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive and Ca2(+)-dependent, high K+ Ca2(+)-dependently releases dL-DOPA. L-DOPA microinjected (10-300 ng) dose-dependently produces postsynaptic depressor responses in the NTS and CVLM and pressor responses in the RVLM, and a recognition site for L-DOPA functions tonically to activate depressor neurons in the NTS and CVLM and pressor neurons in the RVLM. It is highly probable that L-DOPA is a neurotransmitter of the baroreceptor afferents terminating in the NTS, which is based on further findings such as (1) antagonism by a competitive L-DOPA antagonist against depressor responses to aortic nerve stimulation, (2) TTX-sensitive L-DOPA release by aortic nerve stimulation, (3) abolition of baroreceptor-stimulated L-DOPA release by bilateral sino-aortic denervation and (4) decreases in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)- and L-DOPA-immunoreactivities without modifications of dopamine- and DBH-immunoreactivities in the left NTS and ganglion nodosum 7 days after ipsilateral aortic nerve denervation peripheral to the ganglion. In the NTS, GABA tonically functions to inhibit via GABAA receptors L-DOPA release and depressor responses to L-DOPA, whereas L-DOPA induces GABA release. Impaired TTX-sensitive neuronal activity to release L-DOPA in the NTS and enhanced TTX-sensitive neuronal activity including a decrease in decarboxylation of L-DOPA to dopamine and an increase in sensitivity of the recognition site to L-DOPA in the RVLM are relevant to the maintenance of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Decreases in the contents of L-DOPA in the right CVLM 10 days after electrical lesion of the ipsilateral NTS suggest a 'L-DOPAergic' and monosynaptic relay from the NTS to the CVLM. L-DOPA seems to play major roles as a neurotransmitter for baroreceptor reflex and blood pressure regulation in the lower brainstem of rats.
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PMID:L-DOPA systems for blood pressure regulation in the lower brainstem. 853 12

Previous studies demonstrated that stimulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid B (GABA(B)) receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarius of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) elicited a larger increase in arterial pressure compared with control Wistar-Kyoto rats. Since stimulation of GABA(B) receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarius attenuates cardiovascular responses evoked by electrical stimulation of the aortic depressor nerve in normotensive rats and there is evidence of a central neural attenuation of aortic depressor nerve-evoked responses in SHR, we conducted studies to test the hypothesis that enhanced stimulation of GABA(B) receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarius in SHR is responsible for the attenuation of the aortic depressor nerve-evoked responses. Electrical stimulation of the left aortic depressor nerve resulted in frequency-dependent decreases in arterial pressure, heart rate, and splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity in urethane-anesthetized control rats. These responses were not significantly altered by injection of the GABA(B) receptor antagonist CGP 35348 into the ipsilateral nucleus tractus solitarius. The responses evoked by aortic depressor nerve stimulation were attenuated in SHR. This attenuation was particularly apparent with more prolonged periods (>15 seconds) of high-frequency (25-Hz) stimulation, with the depressor and sympathetic nerve responses diminishing during the course of stimulation. This time- and frequency-dependent attenuation of baroreceptor-evoked depressor responses was reversed by injection of CGP 35348 into the ipsilateral nucleus tractus solitarius. Rats made hypertensive by treatment with deoxycorticosterone plus salt did not have attenuated aortic depressor nerve-evoked responses. These results suggest that alterations in GABA b-mediated neural transmission in the nucleus tractus solitarius contribute to the attenuation of the baroreceptor reflex observed in SHR.
Hypertension 1996 Jun
PMID:Role of gamma-aminobutyric acid B receptors in baroreceptor reflexes in hypertensive rats. 864 38

We examined the role of central GABAergic mechanisms in salt-induced hypertension and exaggerated responses to stress in borderline hypertensive rats (BHR), the first offspring of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). The studies were done in conscious BHR and WKY on high (H) (8% NaCl) or normal (N) (0.3% NaCl) salt diets for 5 weeks. A high-salt diet elevated arterial pressure (AP) (p < 0.01) and augmented pressor responses to shaker stress (p < 0.05) in BHR but not in WKY. Intravenous hexamethonium caused a greater decrease in AP in BHR-H than in BHR-N at rest. Muscimol (a GABA agonist) injected into the central ventricle (i.c.v.) caused a greater decrease in resting AP (p < 0.01) and heart rate (HR) (p < 0.05) and BHR-H than in BHR-N. Renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) did not change in BHR-H, but increased (p < 0.05) in BHR-N during muscimol-induced hypotension, although the magnitudes of muscimol-induced hypotension were greater in BHR-N than in BHR-N. The increases in RSNA in response to intravenous nitroglycerin were similar in BHR-N and BHR-N. Muscimol attenuated pressor and tachycardic responses to stress more in BHR-N than in BHR-N (p < 0.01). Muscimol did not alter AP and HR at rest or their responses to stress in the two groups of WKY. The magnitudes of pressor response to bicuculline (a GABA antagonist) did not differ between the two groups of BHR. These results suggest that a high salt diet may alter the central GABAergic system in BHR, which contributes to salt-induced hypertension and augmented pressor and tachycardic responses to stress.
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PMID:Central GABAergic mechanisms are defective in salt-induced hypertension in borderline hypertensive rats. 874 6

L-DOPA is proposed to be a neurotransmitter and/or neuromodulator in CNS. It is released probably from neurons, which may contain L-DOPA as an end-product, and/or from some compartment other than catecholamine-containing vesicles. The L-DOPA itself produces presynaptic and postsynaptic responses. All are stereoselective and most are antagonized by competitive antagonist. In striatum, L-DOPA is neuromodulator, mother of catecholamines, not only a precursor for dopamine but also a potentiator of children for presynaptic beta-adrenoceptors to facilitate dopamine release and postsynaptic D2 receptors, and ACh release inhibitor. All may cooperate for Parkinson's disease. Meanwhile, supersensitization of increase in L-glutamate release to nanomolar levodopa was seen in Parkinson's model rats, which may relate to dyskinesia or "on-off" during chronic therapy. In lower brainstem, L-DOPA tonically activates postsynaptic depressor sites of NTS and CVLM and pressor sites of RVLM. L-DOPA is probably a neurotransmitter of primary baroreceptor afferents terminating in NTS. GABA, the inhibitory neuromodulator for baroreflex in NTS, tonically functions to inhibit, via GABAA receptors, L-DOPA release and depressor responses to levodopa. Levodopa inversely releases GABA. L-DOPAergic monosynaptic relay from NTS to CVLM and from PHN to RVLM is suggested. Tonic L-DOPAergic baroreceptor-aortic nerve-NTS-CVLM relay seems to carry baroreflex information. Disturbance of neuronal activity to release L-DOPA in NTS, loss of the activity in CVLM, enhancement of the activity with decreased decarboxylation and increase in sensitivity to levodopa in RVLM may be involved in maintenance of hypertension in SHR. This is a story of "L-DOPAergic receptors" with extremely high affinity and low density.
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PMID:Neurobiology of L-DOPAergic systems. 889 95


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