Immunocytochemical studies have demonstrated that nerve fibers containing immunoreactive oxytocin and vasopressin project to many areas of the central nervous system, including the hippocampus and the lateral septum (Buijs, 1980; Sofroniew and Weindl, 1978). Biochemical, physiological and behavioral studies of the effects of these peptides on the CNS have indicated that they are involved in functions as diverse as the control of serotonin turnover (Auerbach and Lipton, 1982), the regulation of body temperature (Kasting et. al., 1979) and the retention of conditioned behavior (de Wied et. al., 1974; Koob and Bloom, 1982). The presence of immunoreactive vasopressin (iAVP) in the hippocampus of Wistar rats was confirmed by radioimmunoassay. The vasopressin content of the dorsal hippocampus was 30.3 ± 7.3 pg iAVP/mg soluble protein and that of the ventral hippocampus was 81.4 ± 8.3 pg iAVP/mg soluble protein, while tissue from the cerebral cortex contained no detectable vasopressin. That this immunoreactivity was due to vasopressin was confirmed by the absence of immunoreactivity in hippocampal or cortical tissue from Brattleboro rats, which are genetically unable to synthesize vasopressin. Vasopressin applied by iontophoresis was found to increase the activity of neurones in the lateral septum and in the hippocampus of the anesthetized rat. There was no obvious difference between the response of spontaneously active cells and the response of cells excited by continuous iontophoresis of glutamate or acetylcholine. Repeated application of vasopressin resulted in a decline in the magnitude of the response, but at least part of this decline was due to progressive blockage of the micropipette barrel rather than to tachyphylaxis. Oxytocin, tested only in the septum, was without effect. When applied by superfusion onto rat hippocampal slices, the NHP peptides were found to increase the activity of 88% of spontaneously active cells and to induce activity in many neurones that were not spontaneously active. Arginine vasopressin, lysine vasopressin, arginine vasotocin, and oxytocin were found to be of roughly equivalent potency, producing a dose dependent response in the range 10⁻⁹-10⁻⁶M. Most cells were tested with more than one peptide and were always found to respond either to all or to none of them. There was no decline in responsiveness when cells were subjected to repeated applications of peptide, but continuous application caused the cells to become unresponsive. Following continuous application of oxytocin, a cell failed to respond to both oxytocin and vasopressin, as would be expected if the two peptides were acting on the same receptor. The analogues ddOT, ddAVP, and Gly⁷0T were also active, but the oxytocin fragment PLG had no effect, and the vasopressin fragment DGAVP was extremely weak. The response to the peptides could be blocked by vasopressin antagonists. The peptide sensitive cells appeared to be pyramidal cells rather than interneurones, since the peptide induced activity could be inhibited for about 200-600 msec by electrical stimulation of the stratum radiatum. / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

Vasopressin, a hormone released from the neurohypophysis, contributes to the regulation of body fluid balance through its known actions on the kidney and the vasculature. Release of vasopressin is influenced by plasma osmolality and by afferent activity from sensory receptors in the high and low pressure vascular systems. Previous studies have not defined the relative importance of the carotid sinus baroreceptors, aortic baroreceptors and atrial receptors in the control of the plasma concentration of vasopressin in the rabbit. Experiments were carried out in anaesthetized rabbits to define the quantitative relationship between stimulation of the carotid sinus baroreceptors and the plasma concentration of vasopressin. This relationship was examined in the presence and absence of afferent input from the aortic and atrial receptors. Changes in blood volume were induced to produce a change in the stimulus to the aortic baroreceptors and atrial receptors at high or low, constant carotid sinus pressure. Section, of the aortic depressor nerves and the vagus nerves allowed examination of the individual contributions of atrial receptors or aortic baroreceptors on the plasma concentration of vasopressin. It was also possible to examine the interaction between the carotid sinus baroreceptors and the aortic and atrial receptors. The results showed that plasma concentration of vasopressin was reduced by minimal stimulation of carotid sinus baroreceptors and that maximal inhibition of the release of vasopressin was achieved with a relatively low total arterial baroreceptor input. No influence of carotid sinus baroreceptors on vasopressin release was seen in the presence of intact aortic baroreceptors demonstrating the important interaction between the effects of stimulation of these two sets of receptors. It was not possible to demonstrate, in the rabbits used in this study, a significant contribution of atrial receptors to the control of vasopressin release either in response to changes in carotid sinus pressure or in response to changes in blood volume. To minimize the inhibitory effect of arterial baroreceptors on the release of vasopressin the aortic depressor nerves were cut and carotid sinus pressure was set at a low level. It was still not possible to demonstrate an effect of a reduction in blood volume on vasopressin release, confirming the absence of a contribution from atrial receptors in the anaesthetized rabbit. There appears to be considerable variation between species in the contribution of the different receptor groups to the release of vasopressin. The results suggest that in the normal rabbit there is likely to be significant tonic inhibition of the release of vasopressin by stimuli arising from arterial baroreceptors. The absence of a demonstrable influence of atrial receptors in these rabbits is consistent with findings in primates but differs from those in dogs. It is unlikely that changes in plasma vasopressin concentration induced by small changes in blood volume contribute to the control of arterial pressure through direct effects on vascular resistance and capacitance. / Medicine, Faculty of / Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Department of / Graduate