Abstract
The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) is important for sympathetic control of the cardiovascular system. RVLM neurons are known to be under strong tonic γ‐amino‐butyric acid (GABA)‐ mediated inhibition, presumably due to activation of GABAA receptors. This investigation aimed to demonstrate that GABAA receptors are present on spinally projecting RVLM neurons. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were injected bilaterally with cholera toxin B (CTB) at spinal cord segment T9/T10. Double immunofluorescent labeling identified immunoreactivity for CTB (green, FITC) and the GABAA α1 receptor subunit (red, Cy3) in RVLM. Of 179 CTB‐immunoreactive RVLM neurons (n=4 rats), 176 (98.3%; range among rats, 95.9–99.1%) contained immunoreactivity for the GABAAα1 receptor subunit. Our data show that virtually all bulbospinal RVLM neurons express GABAAα1. These anatomical observations support the involvement of RVLM GABAA receptors in inhibitory control of sympathetic outflow arising from the lower thoracic spinal cord. (R01‐HL096787‐S1; NHMRC 1025031; R01‐ HL096787).
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