The effect of air puff stress on c-Fos expression in rat hypothalamus and brainstem: central circuitry mediating sympathoexcitation and baroreflex resetting.

Furlong TM, McDowall LM, Horiuchi J, Polson JW, Dampney RA. Eur J Neurosci. 2014 Mar 12. [Epub ahead of print] This was a pretty neat paper in showing the complexity of sympathetic control of blood pressure. They took rats, set them up for telemetry recording of heart rate and arterial pressure, and gave they psychological stressors in the form of repeated air puffs in the face. They then looked at what regions of the brain would come up as c-Fos positive. I was pretty surprised to see that the RVLM was pretty much not involved at all. They were able to show c-Fos expression in the RVLM after prolonged hypotension (via nitroprusside), just not after air puffs. They did see expression in NTS-projecting neurons in the VPAG and PVN though (CTB costain). So is it just me, or is it really cool how physical and psychological stressors can tie in to the same system, but still be completely separate. -DH