This study tests the hypothesis that lipids could act as an alternative fuel source in the brain during insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to hyperinsulinemic (5 mU.kg(-1).min(-1)) hypoglycemic (approximately 50 mg/dl) clamps. In protocol 1, intralipid (IL), a fat emulsion, was infused intravenously to prevent the fall in free fatty acid levels that occurs in ...

The sympathetic nervous system, leptin, and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) have been implicated in obesity-associated hypertension. There is increasing evidence for the presence of both leptin and angiotensin II receptors in several key brain cardiovascular and metabolic control regions. We tested the hypothesis that the brain RAS plays a facilitatory role in the sympathetic nerve responses to ...

Objective: Genetically hypertensive BPH/2J mice are recognized as a neurogenic model of hypertension, primarily based on sympathetic overactivity and greater neuronal activity in cardiovascular regulatory brain regions. Greater activity of the central renin angiotensin system (RAS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) reportedly contribute to other models of hypertension. Importantly the periphera...

In the present study we examined the effects of prenatal manganese (Mn) intoxication on [ H]glucose uptake in the brain of rats lesioned as neonates with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). MnCl • 4H O (10,000 ppm) was added to the drinking water of pregnant Wistar rats for the duration of pregnancy. On the day of parturition, Mn was discontinued as an additive to the drinking water. The control group ...

BACKGROUND Oral administration of spironolactone improves cardiac remodeling and its central infusion prevents the increase in sympathetic drive post-myocardial infarction (MI). We hypothesized that central actions of aldosterone contribute to cardiac remodeling post-MI. OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of intracerebroventricular (icv) infusion and oral administration of spironolactone on car...

We examined whether ANG II receptors in the central nervous system mediate hemodynamic responses to pharmacological (cocaine) and behavioral (cold water) stressors. After administration of cocaine (5 mg/kg iv), rats were classified as vascular responders (VR) if their pressor response was due entirely to an increase in systemic vascular resistance (SVR) despite a decrease in cardiac output (CO)...

Intracranial vault (ICV) volume, obtained from T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is generally used to estimate premorbid brain size in imaging studies. T1-weighted sequences lack the signal characteristics for ICV measurements [they have poor contrast at the outer boundary of sulcal cranium scaling factor (CSF)] but are valuable in imaging studies due to their excellent gray vs. whi...

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one of the most potent stimulants of food intake in many animals. Most of the supporting evidence for the effects of NPY has been gathered in mammalian species using porcine NPY. To investigate the effects of NPY on precocial feeding initiation in chicks, we firstly used chicken NPY (cNPY) to study its role in food intake and spontaneous activities in 3-day-old male chic...

This study examined control of cardiovascular and renal function during chronic melanocortin-3/4 receptor (MC3/4-R) activation or inhibition. Arterial and venous catheters were implanted in Sprague-Dawley rats for measurements of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) 24 h/d and for intravenous infusions, and the lateral ventricle was cannulated for chronic intracerebroventricular (IC...

We examined whether systemic or central nervous system (CNS) inhibition of nitric oxide synthase exacerbates the cardiovascular responses of chronic CNS melanocortin 3/4 receptor activation. Sprague-Dawley rats implanted with telemetry probes, venous catheters, and intracerebroventricular (ICV) cannulae were divided in 3 groups. After control measurements, the NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME was i...