Crawley J N, Maas J W, Roth R H
Brain Res. 1980 Feb 10;183(2):301-11. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(80)90466-7.
Electrical stimulation of the central nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) was previously shown to increase activity of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system (SNS) as measured by increases in plasma levels of the norepinephrine (NE) metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenethyleneglycol (MHPG) in the rat. Four experimental approaches were designed to test the specificity of the LC cell group in activating the SNS in the stimulation paradigm. Varying the stimulation current amplitude, varying the site of stimulating electrode placement, and electrolytic lesions of the LC yielded results consistent with the hypothesis that the site of SNS activation was within the anatomical region of the LC cell group. Neurochemical lesioning with intraventricular 6-hydroxydopamine, however, did not effectively block the plasma MHPG increase observed after stimulation of the LC region. The possibility that non-noradrenergic cells, fibers of passage, or terminals in the LC region of the midbrain may be responsible for SNS activation when the LC is electrically stimulated is discussed. These studies are pertinent to all studies of LC function which employ electrical stimulation of the LC nucleus, including investigations of the role of the LC in social behavior, intracranial self-stimulation, and blood pressure regulation.
先前的研究表明，电刺激大鼠蓝斑核（LC）的中央核会增加外周交感神经系统（SNS）的活动，这可通过大鼠血浆中去甲肾上腺素（NE）代谢物3-甲氧基-4-羟基苯乙二醇（MHPG）水平的升高来衡量。设计了四种实验方法来测试在刺激范式中LC细胞群激活SNS的特异性。改变刺激电流幅度、改变刺激电极放置部位以及对LC进行电解损伤，所得结果与以下假设一致，即SNS激活部位在LC细胞群的解剖区域内。然而，脑室内注射6-羟基多巴胺进行神经化学损伤，并未有效阻断刺激LC区域后观察到的血浆MHPG升高。本文讨论了在电刺激LC时，中脑LC区域的非去甲肾上腺素能细胞、过路纤维或终末可能负责激活SNS的可能性。这些研究与所有采用电刺激LC核的LC功能研究相关，包括对LC在社会行为、颅内自我刺激和血压调节中的作用的研究。
