Catecholaminergic C3 neurons are sympathoexcitatory and involved in glucose homeostasis

C Menuet; CP Sevigny; AA Connelly; JK Bassi; N Jancovski; DA Williams; CR Anderson; IJ Llewellyn-Smith; AY Fong; AM Allen

Journal article

Catecholaminergic C3 neurons are sympathoexcitatory and involved in glucose homeostasis

C Menuet, CP Sevigny, AA Connelly, JK Bassi, N Jancovski, DA Williams, CR Anderson, IJ Llewellyn-Smith, AY Fong, AM Allen

Journal of Neuroscience | SOC NEUROSCIENCE | Published : 2014

DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3179-14.2014

Abstract

Brainstem catecholaminergic neurons play key roles in the autonomic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral responses to glucoprivation, yet the functions of the individual groups are not fully understood. Adrenergic C3 neurons project widely throughout the brain, including densely to sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord, yet their function is completely unknown. Here we demonstrate in rats that optogenetic stimulation of C3 neurons induces sympathoexcitatory, cardiovasomotor functions. These neurons are activated by glucoprivation, but unlike the C1 cell group, not by hypotension. The cardiovascular activation induced by C3 neurons is less than that induced by optogenetic stimulatio..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Charles Sevigny Author

Angela Connelly Author

Jaspreet Bassi Author

David Williams Author

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Grants

Awarded by Australian National Health and Medical Research Council

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grants 1029396 and 1025031 and Australian Research Council Discovery Project Grant DP1094301. C.M. is supported by a McKenzie Fellowship from the University of Melbourne. We thank Lee Travis for expert technical assistance.