The A1 noradrenergic region enhances the responsivity of hypothalamic paraventricular neurohypophyseal neurons to inputs from the subfornical organ in the rat.

The action of the A1 noradrenergic neurons of the ventrolateral medulla on the responsiveness of neurohypophyseal neurons in the rat hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) to inputs from the subfornical organ (SFO) was examined in antidromically identified PVN neurons that respond to electrical stimulation of both the SFO and A1 region. In both putative vasopressin (VP)-and oxytocin (OXY)-secreting PVN neurons that were classified according to their spontaneous firing patterns and their responsivity to baroreceptor activation, prior stimulation of the A1 region did not affect the short latency brief duration excitatory response induced by SFO stimulation. Simultaneous stimulation of the A1 region significantly enhanced the long latency prolonged excitatory response induced by SFO stimulation and the enhancement was blocked by microiontophoretically applied phentolamine, and alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, but not by timolol, a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist. Simultaneous stimulation of the A1 region also significantly enhanced the inhibitory response induced by SFO stimulation and the enhancement was blocked by microiontophoretically applied timolol, but not by phentolamine. These results suggest that the A1 region may act to enhance the partial excitatory (via an alpha-adrenoceptor mechanism) and inhibitory SFO inputs (via a beta-adrenoceptor mechanism) to the PVN neurohypophyseal neurons as a modulatory action.