Abstract
Insulin not only regulates glucose and/or lipid metabolism but also modulates brain neural activity. The nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) is a key central integration site for sensory input from working skeletal muscle and arterial baroreceptors during exercise. Stimulation of the skeletal muscle exercise pressor reflex (EPR), the responses of which are buffered by the arterial baroreflex, leads to compensatory increases in arterial pressure to supply blood to working muscle. Evidence suggests that insulin signaling decreases neuronal excitability in the brain, thus antagonizing insulin receptors (IRs) may increase neuronal excitability. However, the impact of brain insulin signaling on the EPR remains fully undetermined. We hypothesized that antagonism of NTS IRs increases EPR function in normal healthy rodents. In decerebrate rats, stimulation of the EPR via electrically induced muscle contractions increased peak mean arterial pressure (MAP) responses 30 min following NTS microinjections of an IR antagonist (GSK1838705, 100 μM; Pre: Δ16 ± 10 mmHg vs. 30 min: Δ23 ± 13 mmHg, n = 11, p = .004), a finding absent in sino-aortic baroreceptor denervated rats. Intrathecal injections of GSK1838705 did not influence peak MAP responses to mechano- or chemoreflex stimulation of the hindlimb muscle. Immunofluorescence triple overlap analysis following repetitive EPR stimulation increased c-Fos overlap with EPR-sensitive nuclei and IR-positive cells relative to sham operation (p < .001). The results suggest that IR blockade in the NTS potentiates the MAP response to EPR stimulation. In addition, insulin signaling in the NTS may buffer EPR stimulated increases in blood pressure via baroreflex-mediated mechanisms during exercise.