Accumulating evidence suggests that the accessory medulla is the location of the circadian pacemaker in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the cockroach Leucophaea maderae. gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and Mas-allatotropin are two putative neurotransmitters, in the accessory medulla in the cockroach Leucophaea maderae. Neurons immunoreactive to the neuropeptide Mas-allatotropin are loc...

An isomer of ouabain, the ouabain-like compound (OI,C), may participate in the regulation of body fluid volume and vascular tone. Forebrain regions, especially the hypothalamus, are reported to be sites of OLC action in the central nervous system. The medulla oblongata is another critical area involved in central cardiovascular regulation. We reported that the microinjection of either monoclona...

Avian and mammalian kidneys can produce a urine hyperosmotic to the blood by means of a renal countercurrent system. Birds are uricotelic; mammals are ureotelic. It is proposed that the inner medulla present in mammalian, but not in avian kidneys serves specifically to accumulate urea in the inner and outer medulla. Among mammalian kidneys the degree to which urea accumulates in the inner medul...

We previously showed that aquaresis induced by the peripherally acting nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor agonist ZP120 is associated with a decreased protein level of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) in whole-kidney homogenates. We now examined the effects of Ac-RYYRWKKKKKKK-NH(2) (ZP120) (1 nmol/kg/min i.v. for 4 h) on renal regional expression (cortex/outer stripe of outer medulla, inner stripe of outer medu...

Major limitations of adrenal medulla transplantation in animal models of Parkinson's disease have been the relatively small behavioral effects and the poor or inconsistent graft survival. Transplantation of fragments of sural nerve in combination with adrenal medulla has been reported to increase the survival of chromaffin cells in adrenal medulla grafts in primates. In the present study, the p...

Adrenal medulla grafts in the lateral ventricle reduce the behavioral manifestations of striatal dopamine depletion in an animal model of Parkinson's disease. Using microdialysis in freely moving rats, the present experiments determined that dopamine was not detectable in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, adrenal medulla grafts were associated with an increase in dopamine turnover and ampheta...

The relationship between the anatomy and neurochemistry of neurons in the ventral medulla oblongata in regions that is responsible for cardiovascular, airways, and respiratory regulation was investigated. Microinjections of excitant amino acid (glutamate, 100 nl, 100 mM) were made throughout the ventral medulla in anesthetized rats. Arterial blood pressure, sympathetic nerve activity and phreni...

The relationship between the anatomy and neurochemistry of neurons in the ventral medulla oblongata in regions that is responsible for cardiovascular, airways, and respiratory regulation was investigated. Microinjections of excitant amino acid (glutamate, 100 nl, 100 mM) were made throughout the ventral medulla in anesthetized rats. Arterial blood pressure, sympathetic nerve activity and phreni...

Many enzymes that produce natriuretic factors such as nitric oxide synthase (NOS), hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are highly expressed in the renal medulla. These enzymes in the renal medulla are up-regulated in response to high salt intake. Inhibition of these enzymes within the renal medulla reduces sodium excretion and increases salt sensitivity of arterial blood pressur...