Pressor effect of centrally administered sodium chloride: role of the ventral third ventricle region and the area postrema.

To determine the site(s) responsible for the central cardiovascular effect of hypertonic saline, 0.2 ml of 1.5 M NaCl was administered to anesthetized dogs via three routes, a lateral ventricle, the third ventricle and the cisterna magna. Intracisternal administration of hypertonic NaCl produced much prompter pressor and tachycardic responses than did administration via the other two routes. Covering the ventral third ventricle region with a petroleum jelly plug had the effect of abolishing the pressor response to lateral ventricular hypertonic NaCl but did not modify the response to intracisternal hypertonic NaCl. By contrast, electrolytic lesion of the area postrema attenuated the rise in blood pressure produced by the intracisternal NaCl without affecting the response to lateral ventricular NaCl. These results indicate that at least two sites, the ventral third ventricle region in the hypothalamus and the area postrema in the lower brainstem, are responsible for the acute hypertension induced by an increase in NaCl concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid of the dog.