Electrophysiological Effects of Angiotensin Ii on Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Neurons of the Rat

............................................................................. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................ iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................ v LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................... vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................... viii Chapter 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION ................................. 1 PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS ................................. 3 AFFERENT PROJECTIONS 3 EFFERENT PROJECTIONS 4 NEURONAL SUBTYPES: Magnocellular Neurons 5 NEURONAL SUBTYPES: Parvocellular Neurons 5 NEURONAL SUBTYPES: Interneurons 6 PVN ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY 8 INFORMATION INTEGRATION IN PVN: Intranuclear Circuitry 11 EXCITATORY NEUROTRANSMISSION IN PVN 11 INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMISSION IN PVN 17 ANGIOTENSIN II ............................................................ 23 PHARMACOLOGY 23 ANGIOTENSINERGIC PATHWAYS IN THE CNS 25 ANGIOTENSIN RECEPTORS 27 CELLULAR ACTIONS 28 SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS 29 EFFECTS ON ION CHANNELS 30 EFFECTS ON NEUROTRANSMISSION 33 DENDRTIC ACTIONS 35 SOMATIC ACTIONS 35 TERMINAL ACTIONS 37 STATEMENT of PROBLEM .......................................... 38 Chapter 2: ANGIOTENSIN II ACTIVATES A NITRIC OXIDE DRIVEN INHIBITORY FEEDBACK IN THE RAT PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS 39 ABSTRACT 40 INTRODUCTION 41 METHODS AND MATERIALS 43 RESULTS 45 DISCUSSION 57