Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T05:08:49.534Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 10 - Regulation of Organ Systems by the Lower Brain Stem

from Part IV - Representation of the Autonomic Nervous System in the Spinal Cord and Lower Brain Stem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 July 2022

Wilfrid Jänig
Wilfrid Jänig
Affiliation:
Christian-Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Germany
Get access

Summary

Regulation of the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system and the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is represented in the lower brain stem. These control systems require precise coordination and are closely integrated, which is reflected in the anatomy and physiology of the neural substrates of these control systems. Included in this integration are the final autonomic pathways, the enteric nervous system and the spinal autonomic circuits. The circuits in the medulla oblongata are under the control of the upper brain stem, hypothalamus and telencephalon. Neurons involved in regulation of arterial blood pressure and respiration are situated in rostrocaudally organized columns of neurons in the ventrolateral medulla (VLM). The rostral VLM is a sympathetic cardiovascular premotor nucleus mediating reflexes to sympathetic cardiovascular preganglionic neurons such as arterial baroreceptor, arterial chemoreceptor and other reflexes. The caudal raphe nuclei of the medulla oblongata are involved in thermoregulation and regulation of energy balance. The respiratory pattern in cardiovascular neurons is generated by the "common cardiorespiratory network" in the VLM. Neural control of the GIT by the lower brain stem is exerted by multiple reflex circuits consisting of vagal afferents from the GIT, neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarii and parasympathetic preganglionic neurons projecting to the GIT.

Keywords

Blood pressurerespirationgastrointestinal tractrostral ventrolateral medullacaudal ventrolateral medullanucleus tractus solitariiarea postremadorsal vagus complexbaroreceptor reflexeschemoreceptor reflexesvasomotor nucleus
Type
Chapter
Information
The Integrative Action of the Autonomic Nervous System
Neurobiology of Homeostasis
 , pp. 292 - 352
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Specific References for this Box

See further key references here.

Guyenet, P. G., Stornetta, R. L., Bochorishvili, G., et al. (2013) C1 neurons: the body’s EMTs [emergency medical technicians]. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 305, R187–R204.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stornetta, R. L., Inglis, M. A., Viar, K. E. and Guyenet, P. G. (2016) Afferent and efferent connections of C1 cells with spinal cord or hypothalamic projections in mice. Brain Struct Funct 221, 4027–4044.Google Scholar
Stornetta, R. L. and Guyenet, P-G. (2018) C1 neurons: a nodal point for stress? Exp Physiol 103, 332–336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Suggested Reading

All references cited in the text are available online at www.cambridge.org/janig.

Browning, K. N. and Travagli, R. A. (2014) Central nervous system control of gastrointestinal motility and secretion and modulation of gastrointestinal functions. Compr Physiol 4, 1339–1368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dampney, R. A. (1994) Functional organization of central pathways regulating the cardiovascular system. Physiol Rev 74, 323–364.Google Scholar
Dampney, R. A. (2016) Central neural control of the cardiovascular system: current perspectives. Adv Physiol Educ 40, 283–296.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Del Negro, C. A., Funk, G. D. and Feldman, J. L. (2018) Breathing matters. Nat Rev Neurosci 19, 351–367.Google Scholar
Feldman, J. L. and Kam, K. (2015) Facing the challenge of mammalian neural microcircuits: taking a few breaths may help. J Physiol 593, 3–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guyenet, P. G. (2014) Regulation of breathing and autonomic outflows by chemoreceptors. Compr Physiol 4, 1511–1562.Google Scholar
Häbler, H. J., Jänig, W. and Michaelis, M. (1994b) Respiratory modulation of activity in sympathetic neurones. Prog Neurobiol 43, 567–606.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jänig, W. (1985a) Organization of the lumbar sympathetic outflow to skeletal muscle and skin of the cat hindlimb and tail. Rev Physiol Biochem Pharmacol 102, 119–213.Google Scholar
Mandel, D. A. and Schreihofer, A. M. (2006) Central respiratory modulation of barosensitive neurones in rat caudal ventrolateral medulla. J Physiol 572, 881–896.Google Scholar
McAllen, R. M. and McKinley, M. J. (2018) Efferent thermoregulatory pathways regulating cutaneous blood flow and sweating. Handb Clin Neurol 156, 305–316.Google Scholar
Morrison, S. F. (2018) Efferent neural pathways for the control of brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and shivering. Handb Clin Neurol 156, 281–303.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morrison, S. F. and Nakamura, K. (2019) Central mechanisms for thermoregulation. Ann Rev Physiol 81, 285–308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paton, J. F. (1996) The ventral medullary respiratory network of the mature mouse studied in a working heart-brainstem preparation. J Physiol 493, 819–831.Google Scholar
Ramirez, J. M. and Baertsch, N. A. (2018) The dynamic basis of respiratory rhythm generation: one breath at a time. Ann Rev Neurosci 41, 475–499.Google Scholar
Rybak, I. A., Molkov, Y. I., Jasinski, P. E., Shevtsova, N. A. and Smith, J. C. (2014) Rhythmic bursting in the pre-Bötzinger complex: mechanisms and models. Prog Brain Res 209, 1–23.Google Scholar
Schreihofer, A.M. and Sved, A.F. (2011) The ventrolateral medulla and sympathetic regulation of arterial pressure. In Central Regulation of Autonomic Functions, 2nd edn. (Llewellyn-Smith, I. J. and Verberne, A. J. M., eds.) pp. 78–97, Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×