Intrathecal blockade of both NMDA and non-NMDA receptors attenuates the exercise pressor reflex in cats

In decerebrate unanesthetized cats we tested the hypothesis that glutamatergic-receptor blockade in the lumbosacral spinal cord attenuated the reflex increases in mean arterial pressure, inspired minute ventilation, and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) evoked by static contraction of the triceps surae muscles. Blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors by intrathecal injection of DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid had no effect on the initial phase of the presser, ventilatory, and RSNA responses to contraction but did attenuate the secondary phase of these responses. Subsequent blockade of non-NMDA receptors in the lumbosacral spinal cord by intrathecal injection of 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione attenuated both the initial phase of the presser, RSNA, and ventilatory responses to contraction and the secondary phase of these responses. In addition, NMDA-receptor blockade had no effect on the presser or RSNA responses to tendon stretch, whereas non-NMDA-receptor blockade abolished these responses. We confirmed that our results were not related to the order of the antagonists injected by performing a series of experiments in which a non-NMDA-receptor antagonist was injected first. Our findings suggest that non-NMDA receptors mediate the spinal transmission of the initial and secondary phases of the presser, RSNA, and ventilatory responses to contraction and tendon stretch. Therefore, non-NMDA receptors in the dorsal horn appear to be involved in the spinal processing of input from mechanoreceptors and metaboreceptors. Our findings also suggest that NMDA receptors mediate the spinal transmission of the secondary phase of the presser, RSNA, and ventilatory responses to contraction but do not mediate the spinal transmission of the responses to tendon stretch. Therefore, NMDA receptors in the dorsal horn appear to be involved in the spinal processing of input from metaboreceptors.