Ventral Lamina Terminalis Mediates Enhanced Cardiovascular Responses of Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla Neurons During Increased Dietary Salt

Julye M. Adams, Megan E. Bardgett, Sean D. Stocker, Hypertension. 2009;54:308-314; originally published online June 8, 2009; http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/54/2/308. The purpose of this study was to determine if the forebrain lamina terminalis was playing a role to the development of enhanced cardiovascular responses when RVLM receives excitatory and inhibitory stimulation. Similar to previous findings they showed that were enhanced BP and RSNA responses to Glutamate and GABA in the 0.9 % rat group when compared to the control group. In order to determine whether the OVLT is playing a role they lesioned this area and repeated that injection of glutamate and GABA into the RVLM. They found that when compared to that 0.9 % saline group with LT lesion were not different from control with LT lesion. They also investigated the responses to glutamate and GABA in acute lesion of LT and found that the 0.9% saline group still demonstrated enhanced cardiovascular responses when compared to the control. These data suggest that high diet mediates the increased sensitivity of RVLM to glutamate and GABA through the LT. -MD