Journal
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
Volume 181, Issue -, Pages 175-182Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.02.001
Keywords
Acetylcholine; Prefrontal cortex; Sympathetic activity; Blood pressure; Heart rate; Emotional stress
Categories
Funding
- Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) [2012/14376-0, 2019/24478-3]
- National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) [456405/2014-3, 431339/2018-0]
- Scientific Support and Development Program of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UNESP -Sao Paulo State University, Brazil) [304108/20189]
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The study found that depletion of acetylcholine within the PL decreased the tachycardia response to restraint stress, while depletion within the IL reduced the restraint-evoked pressor response and cutaneous vasoconstriction.
Previous studies showed a prominent role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), especially the prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) subregions, in behavioral and physiological responses to stressful stimuli. Nevertheless, the local neurochemical mechanisms involved are not completely understood. In this sense, previous studies identified cholinergic terminals within the mPFC, and stressful stimuli increased local acetylcholine release. Despite these pieces of evidence, the specific role of cholinergic neurotransmission in different subregions of the mPFC controlling the cardiovascular responses to stress has never been systematically evaluated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the involvement of cholinergic neurotransmission present within PL and IL in cardiovascular responses to an acute session of restraint stress in rats. For this, rats received bilateral microinjection of the choline uptake inhibitor hemicholinium-3 before exposure to restraint stress. The arterial pressure and heart rate (HR) increases and the decrease in tail skin temperature as an indirect measurement of sympathetically-mediated cutaneous vasoconstriction were recorded throughout the restraint stress session. The results showed that the depletion of acetylcholine within the PL caused by local microinjection of hemicholinium-3 decreased the tachycardia to restraint stress, but without affecting the pressor response and the drop in tail skin temperature. Conversely, IL treatment with hemicholinium-3 decreased the restraint-evoked pressor response and the sympathetically-mediated cutaneous vasoconstriction without interfering with the HR response. Taken together, these results indicate functional differences of cholinergic neurotransmission within the PL and IL in control of cardiovascular and autonomic responses to stressful stimuli.
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