Summary
Electrical activation of the ipsilateral arcuate region of the hypothalamus produced an inhibitory influence upon three separate subpopulations of cells encountered in the ventrolateral PAG. Quiescent PAG cells were classified by their response pattern to sural nerve stimulation: Type A cells displayed only a short latency discharge; whereas, Type B cells exhibited a triphasic response pattern. Arcuate nucleus stimulation dramatically reduced the evoked discharge of both A and B cell types. Type C cells represented spontaneously active PAG neurons which were less affected by arcuate nucleus activation. Systemic naloxone (5 mg/kg) reduced the degree of inhibition of only Type B neurons. Naloxone was ineffective in attenuating arcuate inhibition of Type A and C neurons. Type B neurons may represent a class of cells which are more involved in nociceptive systems and therefore are susceptible to modulation by endogenous opiate peptides.
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Supported in part by grants from the Tarbox Parkinson's Disease Institute and NIH Grant HL 7289
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Strahlendorf, J.C., Strahlendorf, H.K. & Barnes, C.D. Inhibition of periaqueductal gray neurons by the arcuate nucleus: Partial mediation by an endorphin pathway. Exp Brain Res 46, 462–466 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238642
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238642