Integrity of the dorsolateral periaqueductal grey is essential for the fight-or-flight response, but not the respiratory component of a defense reaction

• Published in: Respiratory physiology & neurobiology Vol. 226; pp. 94 - 101
• Main Authors: Bondarenko, E, Guimarães, D.D, Braga, V.A, Nalivaiko, E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-06-2016
• Subjects: Aggression - drug effects; Aggression - physiology; Animals; Arousal; Arousal - drug effects; Arousal - physiology; Catheters, Indwelling; GABA-A Receptor Antagonists - pharmacology; Male; Medical Education; Models, Animal; Motor Activity - drug effects; Motor Activity - physiology; Muscimol - pharmacology; Periaqueductal Gray - drug effects; Periaqueductal Gray - physiopathology; Periaqueductal grey; Photic Stimulation; Plethysmography; Pulmonary/Respiratory; Random Allocation; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, GABA-A - metabolism; Respiration; Respiration - drug effects; Restraint, Physical; Stress; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Respiration; Periaqueductal grey; Stress; Arousal
• ISSN: 1569-9048; 1878-1519
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2015.10.010

Highlights • We assessed respiration in rats with and without dlPAG inactivation. • We presented arousing and stressful stimuli of varying intensities and length. • Blockade of the dlPAG did not affect respiratory responses to brief stimuli. • Also it did not affect stress-induced increase in resting respiratory rate. • dlPAG inhibition reduced locomotion and high-frequency respiration during stress.