Role of the medullary raphe in thermoregulatory vasomotor control in rats

To investigate the involvement of the medullary raphe in thermoregulatory vasomotor control, we chemically manipulated raphe neuronal activity while monitoring the tail vasomotor response to preoptic warming. For comparison, neuronal activity in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) was manipulated in similar experiments. Injections Of D,L-homocysteic acid (DLH; 0.5 mm, 0.3 mul) into a restricted region of the ventral medullary raphe suppressed the tail vasodilatation normally elicited by warming the preoptic area to 42degreesC. DLH injection into the RVLM also suppressed the vasodilatation elicited by preoptic warming. Injection of bicuculline (0.5 mm, 0.3 mul) into the same raphe region suppressed the vasodilatation elicited by preoptic warming. Bicuculline injection into the RVLM did not suppress tail vasodilatation. These results suggest that neurones in both the medullary raphe and the RVLM are vasoconstrictor to the tail, but only those in the raphe receive inhibitory input from the preoptic area. That input might be direct and/or indirect (e.g. via the periaqueductal grey matter).