Fig. 7: Functional roles of the VLMDbh → DVC and VLMDbh → MPA neural circuits in body temperature and heart rate regulation. | Nature Communications

Fig. 7: Functional roles of the VLMDbh → DVC and VLMDbh → MPA neural circuits in body temperature and heart rate regulation.

From: Brainstem catecholaminergic neurons induce torpor during fasting by orchestrating cardiovascular and thermoregulation changes

Fig. 7: Functional roles of the VLMDbh → DVC and VLMDbh → MPA neural circuits in body temperature and heart rate regulation.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

a, b Selective activation of the VLMDbh → DVC or VLMDbh → MPA neural circuits by direct infusion of CNO (1 µl, 0.5 µg/µl dissolved in saline) into the DVC or MPA through pre-implanted cannulas. a Experimental schematic. b Representative images of cannula positions in the DVC and MPA. The effects of selective activation of the VLMDbh → MPA neural circuit on core body temperature (c, P = 0.0461), heart rate (d, P = 0.0315), and iBAT thermogenesis (e, P = 0.0095). The effects of selective activation of the VLMDbh → DVC neural circuit on core body temperature (f, P = 0.0195), heart rate (g, P = 0.0084), and iBAT thermogenesis (h, P = 0.0122). i In vitro whole-cell recording of DMV neurons during optogenetic activation of VLM-CA neuronal projections (blue bar, 5 ms) in the DVC of DbhVLM-ChR2 mice. Representative traces (middle panel) of EPSCs following administering: (1) artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF), (2) picrotoxinin (PTX), (3) 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX), and (4) after a washout period. Group data (right panel, n = 9 neurons). All recordings were performed during the application of TTX (10 µM) and 4-AP (1 mM). The effects of saline or isoproterenol on the heart rate (j) and Tcore (k). l–r The impacts of selective inhibition of the MPA or DVC on the body temperature and heart rate. l Schematic of the FTDNI strategy. Changes in core body temperature (m, P = 0.1453), heart rate (n, P = 0.8122) and iBAT temperature (o, P = 0.3244) when selectively inhibiting MPA neurons. Changes in core body temperature (p, P = 0.7215), heart rate (q, P = 0.7967) and iBAT temperature (r, P = 0.9174) when selectively inhibiting DVC neurons. Two-way ANOVA analysis in (c–h, m–r). Two-tailed paired Student’s t-test in (i). Data are presented as mean ± SEM. ns, not significant P > 0.05; *P < 0.05; **P ≤ 0.01. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. Figure 7a includes a gavage tube illustration created with BioRender.com. Zhan, C. (2025) https://BioRender.com/k4e71f1. Figure 7i was created in BioRender. Zhan, C. (2025) https://BioRender.com/fi02cic. Figure 7l were manually drawn based on anatomical features using Microsoft PowerPoint.

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