Sex differences in salt preference and taste reactivity in rats

Previous studies have shown that female rats consume significantly more sodium chloride (NaCl) than do age-matched males. The gustatory contribution to this sex difference was examined in the following experiments. In Experiment 1, female rats demonstrated a higher two-bottle preference for NaCl ranging from 0.03 M to 1.0 M than did age-matched males. Next, to determine if the animal's sex modified gustatory sensitivity for NaCl, taste reactivity responses elicited by intraoral infusions (0.8 ml) of NaCl (0.03 M, 0.15 M, 0.3 M, and 1.0 M) were measured in age-matched male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Intraoral infusions of NaCl were administered in ascending concentration order on successive days. During the intraoral infusion, the animal's oral motor taste reactivity responses were videotaped and subsequently analyzed to determine the number of ingestive and aversive responses. Intraoral infusions of 0.15 M and 0.3 M NaCl elicited reliably more ingestive responses and 1.0 M NaCl more aversive responses in females than in males. Because differences in taste reactivity were not found for all those concentrations for which female rats showed a higher preference than did males, changes in gustatory sensitivity contributes to, but does not appear to fully account for the female rats' preference for NaCl.     

Development of chorda tympani nerve taste responses in the hamster

To determine whether changes in salt and sugar responses occur during development in the hamster, multifiber responses were recorded from the chorda tympani nerve while stimulating the anterior tongue of preweanling, early postweanling, and adult hamsters. Gustatory stimuli included 0.1 and 0.5 M solutions of NH4Cl, NaCl, LiCl, and KCl, and concentration series (0.01-1.0 M) of glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, and (0.0005-0.01 M) saccharin. Dramatic alterations in hamster peripheral gustatory sensitivities occurred with age, with the direction and magnitude of change dependent on the specific stimulus. Response magnitudes to 0.1 M solutions of NaCl and LiCl decreased with age compared to the NH4Cl response, whereas responses to all other salt stimuli remained constant during development. Responses to all sugars and saccharin compared to the NH4Cl response increased during development across a large concentration range; however, the age at which mature responses were achieved depended on the specific "sweet" stimulus. Whereas these findings demonstrate that the hamster peripheral gustatory system is dynamic during postnatal development, the hamster has a unique developmental pattern of salt taste development compared to other species. Specifically, the effectiveness of NaCl and LiCl decrease during development compared to NH4Cl in the hamster, but increase dramatically in the rat and sheep. Thus, the developmental patterns are opposite in direction for the hamster compared to the rat and sheep and may relate to the environmental pressures imposed upon each species.     

Responses of Neurons in the Parabrachial Region of the Rat to Electrical Stimulation of the Superior Laryngeal Nerve and Chemical Stimulation of the Larynx

The responsiveness of the parabrachial region to electrical stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve was first examined in anesthetized rats. Action potentials were recorded in 30 parabrachial sites by single and train electrical pulses to the superior laryngeal nerve. The average latency, from the onset of stimulation to the first action potentials, was 9.9 ms (range, 6.5–18.8 ms). The responsiveness of parabrachial neurons to chemical stimulation of the laryngeal region was next examined using anesthetized, immobilized, and artificially ventilated rats in which the chorda tympani and glossopharyngeal nerves were bilaterally sectioned. Taste stimuli were applied to the laryngeal region through a tracheal tube and rinsed with 0.15 NaCl. A total of 66 responses were recorded from 26 neurons. The most effective stimulus for these neurons was 0.03 M hydrochloric acid, followed by 0.01 M quinine hydrochloride, 0.5 M sodium chloride, 0.5 M sucrose, and distilled water. Seven responses were derived from 0.15 NaCl. These neurons were mainly located in a posterodorsolateral part of the parabrachial nucleus. These results suggest that chemical signals from the laryngeal region are transmitted to the parabrachial nucleus through the superior laryngeal nerve.     

Neurons in the posterior insular cortex are responsive to gustatory stimulation of the pharyngolarynx, baroreceptor and chemoreceptor stimulation, and tail pinch in rats

Extracellular unit responses to gustatory stimulation of the pharyngolaryngeal region, baroreceptor and chemoreceptor stimulation, and tail pinch were recorded from the insular cortex of anesthetized and paralyzed rats. Of the 32 neurons identified, 28 responded to at least one of the nine stimuli used in the present study. Of the 32 neurons, 11 showed an excitatory response to tail pinch, 13 showed an inhibitory response, and the remaining eight had no response. Of the 32 neurons, eight responded to baroreceptor stimulation by an intravenous (i.v.) injection of methoxamine hydrochloride (Mex), four were excitatory and four were inhibitory. Thirteen neurons were excited and six neurons were inhibited by an arterial chemoreceptor stimulation by an i.v. injection of sodium cyanide (NaCN). Twenty-two neurons were responsive to at least one of the gustatory stimuli (deionized water, 1.0 M NaCl, 30 mM HCl, 30 mM quinine HCl, and 1.0 M sucrose); five to 11 excitatory neurons and three to seven inhibitory neurons for each stimulus. A large number of the neurons (25/32) received converging inputs from more than one stimulus among the nine stimuli used in the present study. Most neurons (23/32) received converging inputs from different modalities (gustatory, visceral, and tail pinch). The neurons responded were located in the insular cortex between 2.0 mm anterior and 0.2 mm posterior to the anterior edge of the joining of the anterior commissure (AC); the mean location was 1.2 mm (n=28) anterior to the AC. This indicates that most of the neurons identified in the present study seem to be located in the region posterior to the taste area and anterior to the visceral area in the insular cortex. These results indicate that the insular cortex neurons distributing between the taste area and the visceral area receive convergent inputs from gustatory, baroreceptor, chemoreceptor, and nociceptive organs.     

Gustatory-salivary reflex: neural activity of sympathetic and parasympathetic fibers innervating the submandibular gland of the hamster

Electrophysiological experiments were performed to clarify the neural control mechanisms subserving gustatory-salivary reflex in anesthetized and decerebrate hamsters. Efferent neural activities of postganglionic sympathetic and preganglionic parasympathetic fibers, innervating the submandibular gland, were recorded when taste stimuli were infused into the oral cavity. Neural activities of primary gustatory afferents were also recorded from the chorda tympani (innervating the anterior part of the tongue) and the glossopharyngeal nerve (innervating the posterior part of the tongue). The parasympathetic fibers showed a low rate of spontaneous discharges (about 0.3 Hz), and responded tonically in an excitatory manner to taste stimulation. The magnitude of parasympathetic activity was highly correlated with the magnitude of gustatory afferent responses of the chorda tympani rather than that of the glossopharyngeal nerve. On the other hand, the sympathetic fibers showed irregular burst discharges (1.5 burst/s), and the rate of burst discharges was increased in response to high concentrations of HCl (0.03 M) or NaCl (1 M) solutions. Deafferentation experiments suggest that the parasympathetic activity is mainly influenced by gustatory information via the chorda tympani, while the sympathetic activity can be evoked by both the chorda tympani and glossopharyngeal nerve.     

The contribution of gustatory nerve input to oral motor behavior and intake-based preference. I. Effects of chorda tympani or glossopharyngeal nerve section in the rat

Two-bottle intake tests and taste reactivity (TR) tests were used to reveal whether changes in ingestive behavior would follow bilateral section of either the chorda tympani (CT) or the glossopharyngeal (GP) nerve. Rats received two-bottle intake tests to compare 24-h ingestion of water to that of NaCl, MgCl2, quinine, or sucrose. Prior to each long-term intake test, rats received a 1 min, 1 ml intraoral infusion of the same chemical stimulus. Ingestive and aversive oral motor responses elicited by these 1 ml infusions were videotaped and subsequently analyzed. GP-section did not alter quinine or sucrose preference; overall, preference of MgCl2 and NaCl was also similar to controls. In contrast, TR tests in GP-sectioned rats revealed that most quinine, MgCl2 and NaCl stimuli elicited significantly fewer aversive oral motor responses. In addition, the latency of aversive responses to these 3 chemical stimuli was increased for these rats. Intake-based preference tests failed to show any difference between rats with CT nerve section and controls. In TR tests, however, CT-sectioned rats displayed significantly fewer ingestive oral motor responses to NaCl, MgCl2, and quinine than controls. Neither sucrose intake nor sucrose-elicited TR were altered by CT or GP nerve section. This report confirms the failure of long-term intake tests to uncover behavioral deficits following the section of gustatory nerves. In contrast, the use of a different behavioral test makes clear for the first time that gustatory nerve section has dramatic consequences on ingestive behavior. The examination of taste elicited oral motor behaviors reveals a coherent and nerve specific pattern of neurological deficit following peripheral nerve section.     

Trigeminal modulation of gustatory neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract

Electrophysiological methods were used to investigate the effects of trigeminal nerve stimulation or transection on responses of single gustatory neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) to tastants (NaCl, sucrose, citric acid, monosodium glutamate) in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats. Unilateral transection of the lingual nerve, or the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve, resulted in significant reductions (by 21 and 29%, respectively; P<0.01) in tastant-evoked responses, with no further effect following bilateral transection. Electrical stimulation of the central cut end of the mandibular nerve directly excited nine of 14 gustatory NTS units. For these units, central mandibular stimulation facilitated the tastant-evoked responses in six, depressed responses in three, and had no effect in five. Facilitation of tastant-evoked responses peaked 4 min after mandibular stimulation and recovered within 8 min. Electrical stimulation of the peripheral cut end of the mandibular nerve significantly reduced tastant-evoked responses in nine other NTS units, with a maximal reduction at 4 min post-stimulation followed by recovery. Stimulation of the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion did not affect NTS tastant-evoked responses. These results suggest the presence of complex central modulation of NTS neurons by trigeminal afferents, as well as a peripheral depressant effect on gustatory processing possibly mediated via neuropeptide release from trigeminal nerve endings in the tongue.     

Multimodal responses of taste neurons in the frog nucleus tractus solitarius

The responses of 216 neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) of the American bullfrog were recorded following taste, temperature, and tactile stimulation. Cells were classified on the basis of their responses to 5 taste stimuli: 0.5 M NaCl, 0.0005 M quinine-HCl (QHCl), 0.01 M acetic acid, 0.5 M sucrose, and deionized water (water). Neurons showing excitatory responses to 1, 2, 3, or 4 of the 5 kinds of taste stimuli were named Type I, II, III, or IV, respectively. Cells whose spontaneous rate was inhibited by taste and/or tactile stimulation of the tongue were termed Type V. Type VI neurons were excited by tactile stimulation alone. Of the 216 cells, 115 were excited or inhibited by taste stimuli (Types I-V), with 35 being Type I, 34 Type II, 40 Type III, 2 Type IV and 4 Type V. The remaining 101 cells were responsive only to tactile stimulation (Type VI). Of those 111 cells excited by taste stimulation (Types I-IV), 106 (95%) responded to NaCl, 66 (59%) to acetic acid, 44 (40%) to QHCl, 10 (9%) to water, and 9 (8%) to warming. No cells responded to sucrose. Of the 111 cells of Types I-IV, 76 (68%) were also sensitive to mechanical stimulation of the tongue. There was some differential distribution of these neuron types within the NTS, with more narrowly tuned cells (Type I) being located more dorsally in the nucleus than the more broadly tuned (Type III) neurons. Cells responding exclusively to touch (Type VI) were also more dorsally situated than those responding to two or more taste stimuli (Types II and III).     

The effect of taste stimuli on histamine release in the anterior hypothalamus of rats

We studied the effect of gustatory stimulation on hypothalamic histamine release. Administering a four-basic taste mixture significantly increased histamine release, but not in the chorda tympani-transected rats. 0.1 M NaCl significantly increased histamine release, whereas 0.5 M sucrose, 0.02 M quinine HCl and 0.01 M HCl had no effect. However, when the concentration of HCl was increased to 0.03 M, a significant increase in histamine release was seen. These results suggest that taste information via the chorda tympani activates the histaminergic system.     

Effects of electrical stimulation of the glossopharyngeal nerve on cells in the nucleus of the solitary tract of the rat

Electrophysiological responses to electrical stimulation of the lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal (GP) nerve (which innervates taste buds on the caudal 1/3 of the tongue) were recorded from single cells in the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) of anesthetized rats. Electrical stimulation was delivered as single pulses (n=55), paired-pulses (n=15) and tetanic trains (n=11). NTS cells with GP-evoked responses were also tested for responsivity to taste stimuli (0.1 M NaCl, 0.5 M sucrose, 0.01 M HCl and 0.01 M quinine HCl). Fifty-five neurons were studied: 49 cells showed GP-evoked (mean latency+/-SEM=18.0+/-1.32 ms); seven of these were taste-responsive. Spontaneous rate of these cells was low (mean+/-SEM=1.4+/-0.3 spikes per second; median=0.21 spikes per second) and many cells showed no spontaneous activity. Paired-pulse stimulation of the GP nerve in 13 rats produced both paired-pulse suppression (n=11) and paired-pulse enhancement (n=4); tetanic stimulation (25 Hz, 1.0 s) produced sustained (>20 s) increases or decreases in firing rate in 7 of 11 cells tested. Histological data suggested that GP-evoked responses recorded in the most rostral NTS were likely the result of polysynaptic connections. Cells with GP-evoked responses formed a heterogeneous group in terms of their response properties and differed from cells with evoked responses to chorda tympani (CT; which innervates taste buds on the rostral 1/3 of the tongue) nerve stimulation. These differences may reflect the respective functional specializations of the GP and CT nerves.     

Development of chorda tympani taste responses in rat

To learn whether neurophysiological taste responses change during structural development of the gustatory system, we recorded from the chorda tympani nerve in rats aged 7 to 92 days after birth. Chemical stimuli applied to the anterior tongue included four monochloride salts, two acids, sucrose, and urea. Responses to all chemicals were obtained as early as 7 days postnatally. Developmental changes in salt, acid, and sucrose responses were observed. Relative to NaCl and LiCl, NH₄Cl and KCl gradually decrease in effectiveness as taste stimuli; or, relative to NH₄Cl and KCl, NaCl and LiCl become more effective stimuli. These changes are similar to those observed prenatally and postnatally in sheep. Also, relative to NaCl, citric acid, hydrochloric acid, and sucrose become less effective stimuli; or, NaCl becomes more effective as a stimulus, relative to these acids and sucrose. The period of most rapid functional change overlaps a period of rapid structural change. It seems most reasonable to hypothesize that the altering taste responses reflect developmental changes in receptor membrane composition. Since the taste system is not programmed to respond in a mature manner from the moment function begins, there is ample opportunity for changing taste experience to influence the developing taste system.     

Responses of the hamster chorda tympani nerve to binary component taste stimuli: evidence for peripheral gustatory mixture interactions

Studies of taste mixtures suggest that stimuli which elicit different perceptual taste qualities physiologically interact in the gustatory system and thus. are not independently processed. The present study addressed the role of the peripheral gustatory system in these physiological interactions by measuring the effects of three heterogeneous taste mixtures on responses of the chorda tympani (CT) nerve in the hamster ( Mesocricetus auratus). Binary taste stimuli were presented to the anterior tongue and multi-fiber neural responses were recorded from the whole CT. Stimuli consisted of a concentration series of quinine. HCI (QHCI: 1–30 mM), sodium chloride (NaCl: 10–250 mM). sucrose (50–500 mM) and binary combinations of the three different chemicals. Each mixture produced a unique pattern of results on CT response magnitudes measured 10 s into the response. Sucrose responses were inhibited by quinine in QHCI-sucrose mixtures. Neural activity did not increase when quinine was added to 50–250 mM NaCl in QHCINaCl mixtures. However, the neural activity elicited by sucrose-NaCl mixtures was greater than the activity elicited by either component stimulus presented alone. The results demonstrate that gustatory mixture interactions are initiated at the level of the taste bud or peripheral nerve. Mechanisms for these interactions are unknown. The results are consistent with one component stimulus modifying the interaction of the other component stimulus with its respective transduction mechanism. Alternatively, peripheral inhibitory mechanisms may come into play when appetitive and aversive stimuli are simultaneously presented to the taste receptors.     

Human forebrain activation by visceral stimuli.

Visceral function is essential for survival. Discreet regions of the human brain controlling visceral function have been postulated from animal studies (Cechetto and Saper [1987] J. Comp. Neurol. 262:27-45) and suspected from lethal cardiac arrythmias (Cechetto [1994] Integr. Physiol. Behv. Sci. 29:362-373). However, these visceral sites remain uncharted in the normal human brain. We used 4-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify changes in activity in discrete regions of the human brain previously identified in animal studies to be involved in visceral control. Five male subjects underwent heart rate (HR) and/or blood pressure (BP) altering tests: maximal inspiration (MX), Valsalva's maneuver (VM), and isometric handgrip (HG). Increased neuronal activity was observed during MX, VM, and HG, localized in the insular cortex, in the posterior regions of the thalamus, and in the medial prefrontal cortex. To differentiate special visceral (taste) regions from general visceral (HR, BP) regions in these areas, response to gustatory stimulation was also examined; subjects were administered saline (SAL) and sucrose (SUC) solutions as gustatory stimuli. Gustatory stimulation increased activity in the ventral insular cortex at a more inferior level than the cardiopulmonary stimuli. The observed neural activation is the first demonstration of human brain activity in response to visceral stimulation as measured by fMRI.     

Segregation of gustatory cortex in response to salt and umami taste studied through event-related potentials

In this study, we report gustatory event-related potentials in response to stimulation with monosodium glutamate (MSG) and salt (NaCl). We investigated differences in event-related potential related to stimulus quality, stimulus concentration, cortical topography, and participants' sex. Our results showed that amplitudes P1N1 and N1P2 were significantly larger in response to stimulation with NaCl compared with stimulation with MSG and the topographical distribution of amplitudes varied significantly for the two stimuli. In addition, responses were significantly larger in the right hemisphere compared with the left hemisphere for both stimuli, suggesting right hemispheric dominance for gustatory processing. In conclusion, this study shows significant differences in cerebral processing of MSG and NaCl in the human brain.     

Response properties of fibers in the hamster superior laryngeal nerve

The purpose of the present investigation was to record electrophysiological responses from single fibers in the hamster superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) that were responsive to chemical stimulation of the larynx. Twenty chemical solutions, commonly used in studies of mammalian gustatory physiology, were applied to taste buds on and around the epiglottis. These stimuli were dissolved in physiological saline. Responses were the number of impulses elicited over a 15-s period following stimulus onset, above or below the background activity elicited by a previous rinse with saline. Unlike fibers in the hamster chorda tympani or glossopharyngeal nerves, SLN units were not easily classifiable into response types. Excitatory stimuli were primarily acids and bitter-tasting stimuli, with the order of their effectiveness being urea tartaric acid > HCl > KCl > citric acid > caffeine > quinine hydrochloride > acetic acid. The sweet-tasting stimuli and most salts other than KCl were primarily inhibitory, with the order of inhibitory effectiveness being CaCl₂ > sucrose > fructose > LiCl > NaNO₃ > Li₂SO₄ > NaCl. A hierarchical cluster analysis of fibers yielded no distinct clusters, yet differing sensitivities across the fibers were suggested. SLN fibers are highly responsive to sour and bitter stimuli, although they are not sensitive to fine differences in taste quality, as are fibers in other gustatory nerves.     

Response characteristics of three taste nerves in mice

Gustatory responses from 3 nerves, the chorda tympani, glossopharyngeal and superior laryngeal nerves were investigated in the mouse. Stimuli were NH4Cl, NaCl, KCl, HCl, quinine-HCl, sucrose, urea, glucose and distilled water. The 3 nerves responded differently to these stimuli. The chorda tympani responded strongly to HCl and sucrose, but weakly to quinine-HCl, while the glossopharyngeal responded well to quinine-HCl rather than to either HCl or sucrose. The order of effective stimulation was NH4Cl greater than NaCl greater than KCl for the chorda tympani, whereas NH4Cl greater than KCl greater than NaCl for the glossopharyngeal nerve. The responses of the superior laryngeal nerve were remarkably different from those of the others. Water was the most effective stimulus for the nerve and the response to water was depressed by either electrolytes or non-electrolytes added in water. These results suggest dissimilar contributions of the 3 nerves to the physiological functions.     

Corticofugal influence on taste responses in the parabrachial pons of the rat

Although the anatomy of centrifugal input to gustatory neural structures has been described, little is known of the physiological mechanisms that convey this influence or of their functional significance. As a first step in the investigation of these issues, the effect of a reversible lesion in the gustatory neocortex (GN) on the neural code for taste in the parabrachial nucleus of the pons (PbN) was studied in rats. Electrophysiological responses to taste stimuli bathed over the tongue were recorded from single units in the PbN before, after and following recovery from an infusion of procaine-HCl into the GN. Test stimuli consisted of sapid solutions of NaCl (0.1 M), HCl (0.01 M), sucrose (0.5 M), Na-saccharin (0.004 M) and quinine-HCl (0.01 M). Infusions of procaine into the GN were correlated with both specific and nonspecific effects on the responsivity to gustatory stimuli in the PbN. Specific effects included: (1) changes in the magnitude of response to some tastants, but not others, in a given PbN unit, (2) changes in the across unit patterns produced by sweet stimuli and (3) the appearance of OFF responses in a subset of PbN units. Nonspecific effects were evidenced by changes in the spontaneous rates of activity and by enhancement or suppression of responses across all the tastants tested in a subset of PbN units. Comparison of these results with reports on the effects of decerebration suggests that some of these effects may be accounted for by interruption of the descending input from the GN to the PbN. In addition, the stimulus-specific effects that were noted following procaine infusion into the GN provide support for the suggestion that the GN specifically modifies the electrophysiological patterns that are evoked by salient taste stimuli.     

Amino acids as taste stimuli. II. Quality coding

Two experiments were performed in rats to evaluate the relative taste qualities of 12 L-amino acids, each at a concentration which evoked half the maximum response for that chemical. The first study involved recording the activity of 40 individual chorda tympani fibers to the stimulus series. Only 34% of the evoked responses resembled the short latency phasic-tonic activity which characterizes gustatory responses to inorganic salts and acids. 32% had latencies exceeding 1 s; another 27% consisted of only a phasic burst lasting less than 1 s. The remaining 7% were inhibitory. Both long latency and purely phasic activity were stimulus selective: 61% of the former were in response to Gly or Pro while 69% of the latter were evoked by Cys-HCl, Lys-HCl or His. Response inhibition was not associated with either specific fibers or stimuli. Thus amino acids, which to humans represent a class of perceptually complex stimuli, show a corresponding complexity of evoked neural properties in the rat. The second study employed a conditioned taste aversion paradigm to assess the qualitative similarity of each amino acid to the others and to the 4 prototypical taste stimuli; NaCl, HCl, quinine-HCl and sucrose. Some amino acids showed strong generalization to a single gustatory prototype (Pro and Gly to sucrose; Cys-HCl to HCl); others generalized well to multiple prototypes (e.g. Arg to sucrose and NaCl). Several showed poor generalization to all 4 prototypical tastes, calling into question the assumption that these 4 totally encompass the gustatory domain.     

GABA-mediated corticofugal inhibition of taste-responsive neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract

The nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) receives descending connections from several forebrain targets of the gustatory system, including the insular cortex. Many taste-responsive cells in the NST are inhibited by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In the present study, we investigated the effects of cortical stimulation on the activity of gustatory neurons in the NST. Multibarrel glass micropipettes were used to record the activity of NST neurons extracellularly and to apply the GABA(A) antagonist bicuculline methiodide (BICM) into the vicinity of the cell. Taste stimuli were 0.032 M sucrose (S), 0.032 M NaCl (N), 0.00032 M citric acid (H), and 0.032 M quinine hydrochloride (Q), presented to the anterior tongue. Each of 50 NST cells was classified as S-, N-, H-, or Q-best on the basis of its response to chemical stimulation of the tongue. The ipsilateral insular cortex was stimulated both electrically (0.5 mA, 100 Hz, 0.2 ms) and chemically (10 mM DL-homocysteic acid, DLH), while the spontaneous activity of each NST cell was recorded. The baseline activity of 34% of the cells (n=17) was modulated by cortical stimulation: eight cells were inhibited and nine were excited. BICM microinjected into the NST blocked the cortical-induced inhibition but had no effect on the excitatory response. Although the excitatory effects were distributed across S-, N-, and H-best neurons, the inhibitory effects of cortical stimulation were significantly more common in N-best cells. These data suggest that corticofugal input to the NST may differentially inhibit gustatory afferent activity through GABAergic mechanisms.     

An investigation into the mechanism of cardiovascular responses elicited by electrical stimulation of locus coeruleus and subcoeruleus in the cat

Electrical stimulation of locus coeruleus (LC) and subcoeruleus (SC) elicited an increase in heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP). Adrenergic neurone blockade in the posterior hypothalamus with guanethidine and also bilateral adrenalectomy completely blocked the LC stimulation induced cardiovascular responses. The cardiovascular responses elicited by electrical stimulation of SC were, however, unaffected by the former and only partially inhibited by the latter. It is suggested that the LC stimulation-evoked rise in HR and BP is mediated by catecholamine release from the adrenal medulla due to an activation of the hypothalamic-adrenal axis. The cardiovascular responses elicited by stimulation of SC are mainly due to activation of the sympathetic preganglionic neurones and are further augmented by the adrenal catecholamine release.