Title:Neurochemicals Involved in Medullary Control of Common Carotid Blood Flow
VOLUME: 11 ISSUE: 5
Author(s):Chi-Li Gong, Yuk-Man Leung, Ming-Ren Wang, Nai-Nu Lin, Tony Jer-Fu Lee and Jon-Son Kuo
Affiliation:701, Sec.3, Chung-Yang Rd., Hualien 970, Taiwan.
Keywords:Carotid artery, Cerebral blood flow, Medulla, Parasympathetic nucleus, Vascular regulation, Neurotransmitter
Abstract:The common carotid artery (CCA) supplies intra- and extra-cranial vascular beds. An area in the medulla
controlling CCA blood flow is defined as the dorsal facial area (DFA) by Kuo et al. in 1987. In the DFA, presynaptic
nitrergic and/or glutamatergic fibers innervate preganglionic nitrergic and/or cholinergic neurons which give rise to the
preganglionic fibers of the parasympathetic 7th and 9th cranial nerves. Released glutamate from presynaptic nitrergic
and/or glutamatergic fibers can activate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-
propionic acid (AMPA) receptors on preganglionic nitrergic and/or cholinergic neurons. By modulating this glutamate
release, several neurochemicals including serotonin, arginine, nitric oxide, nicotine, choline and ATP in the DFA regulate
CCA blood flow. Understanding the neurochemical regulatory mechanisms can provide important insights of the
physiological roles of the DFA, and may help develop therapeutic strategies for diseases involving CCA blood flow, such
as migraine, hypertensive disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral ischemic stroke.
