Summary
Electrical stimulation in lower brainstem areas presumed to be parts of the ascending noradrenergic system was carried out in the unanaesthetized guinea-pig. In the same animals noradrenaline (NA) was also injected into the anterior hypothalamus. Certain points in the lower brainstem were found, the stimulation of which resulted in a rise of oxygen uptake (more than 60% over the resting level), of body temperature and of electrical muscle activity at an ambient temperature of 29–30°C. Respiratory rate also rose on stimulation, while heart rate did not show a consistent change. All these changes were found to be very similar to those obtained after an intrahypothalamic injection of NA. When the electrical stimulations at the same sites were repeated several times the extent of rise in oxygen uptake became gradually smaller, amounting to only half of the initial response after four periods of stimulation. An intrahypothalamic injection of NA restored the effectiveness of electrical stimulation in the lower brainstem to the original extent.
These results suggest that the thermogenesis evoked by the electrical stimulation of these lower brainstem areas may be ascribed to the activation of ascending noradrenergic pathways terminating in the hypothalamus.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arbuthnott, G. W., Crow, T. J., Fuxe K., Olson, L., Ungerstedt, U.: Depletion of catecholamines in vivo induced by electrical stimulation of central monoamine pathways. Brain Res.24, 471–483 (1970)
Ashkenazi, R., Holman, R. B., Vogt, M.: Release of transmitters into the perfused third ventricle of the cat. J. Physiol. (Lond.)233, 195–209 (1973)
Baldessarini, R. J., Kopin, I.: Tritiated norepinephrine: release from brain slices by electrical stimulation. Science152, 1630–1631 (1966)
Brenells, A. B.: Spontaneous and neurally evoked release of labelled noradrenaline from rabbit olfactory bulbs in vivo. J. Physiol. (Lond.)240, 279–293 (1974)
Brück, K.: Nonshivering thermogenesis and brown adipose tissue in relation to age, and their integration in the thermoregulatory system. In: Brown Adipose Tissue (O. Lindberg ed.), New York-London-Amsterdam: Elsevier 1970
Brück, K.: Temperature regulation and catecholamines. Proc. of the Jerusalem Symposium on Temperature Regulation. Israel J. med. Sci. (in press, 1976)
Brück, K., Wünnenberg, W.: Beziehung zwischen Thermogenese im “braunen” Fettgewebe, Temperatur im cervicalen Anteil des Vertebralkanals und Kältezittern. Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol.290, 167–183 (1966)
Dahlström, A. Fuxe, K.: Evidence for the existence of monoamine-containing neurons in the central nervous system. I. Demonstration of monoamines in the cell bodies of brain stem neurons. Acta physiol. scand.62, Suppl. 232 (1964)
Dahlström, A., Fuxe, K., Kernell, D., Sedvall, G.: Reduction of monoamine stores in the terminals of bulbospinal neurons following stimulation in the medulla oblongata. Life Sci.4, 1207–1213 (1965)
Eisenman, J. S.: Unit studies of brainstem projections to the preoptic area and hypothalamus. In: Recent studies in hypothalamic function (K. Lederis and K. E. Cooper, eds.). Karger: Basel 1974
Feldberg, W., Myers, R. D.: Effects on temperature of amines injected into the cerebral ventricles. A new concept of temperature regulation. J. Physiol. (Lond.)173, 226–236 (1964)
Fuxe, K., Gunne, L.-M.: Depletion of the amine stores in brain catecholamine terminals in amygdaloid stimulation. Acta physiol. scand62, 493–494 (1964)
Hammel, H. T.: The set-point in temperature regulation: analogy or reality. In: Essays on temperature regulation (J. Bligh and R. E. Moore, eds.). Amsterdam-London: North Holland 1972
Hellon, R. F.: Monoamines, pyrogens and cations: their actions on central control of body temperature. Pharmacol. Rev.26, 289–321 (1975)
Kirpekar, S. M.: Factors influencing transmission at adrenergic synapses. Progr. Neurobiol4 163–210 (1975)
Lindvall, O., Björklund, A.: The organization of the ascending catecholamine neuron systems in the rat brain, as revealed by the glyoxylic acid fluorescence method. Acta physiol. scand.92, Suppl. 412 (1974)
Philippu, A., Heyd, G., Burger, A.: Release of noradrenaline from the hypothalamus in vivo. Europ. J. Pharmacol.9, 52–58 (1970)
Sheard, M. H., Aghajanian, G. K.: Neural release of brain serotonin and body temperature. Nature (Lond.)216, 495–496 (1967)
Szelényi, Z., Zeisberger, E., Brück, K.: Thermogenic responses on electrical stimulation in the dorso-lateral part of the pontine tegmentum in the guinea-pig. Pflügers Arch359, R55 (1975)
Ungerstedt, U.: Stereotaxic mapping of the monoamine pathways in the rat brain. Acta physiol. scand.82. Suppl. 367 (1971)
Voigtlander, P. F. von, Moore, K. E.: In vivo electrically evoked release of [3H]noradrenaline from cat brain. J. Pharm. Pharmacol.23, 381–382 (1971)
Zeisberger, E., Brück, K.: Central effects of noradrenaline on the control of body temperature in the guinea-pig. Pflügers Arch.322, 152–166 (1971)
Zeisberger, E., Brück, K.: Alterations of shivering threshold in cold- and warm-adapted guinea-pigs following intrahypothalamic injections of noradrenaline and of an adrenergic alpha-receptor blocking agent. Pflügers Arch.362, 113–119 (1976)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 122, Projekt B1).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Szelényi, Z., Zeisberger, E. & Brück, K. Effects of electrical stimulation in the lower brainstem on temperature regulation in the unanaesthetized guinea-pig. Pflugers Arch. 364, 123–127 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00585179
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00585179