Role of Glutamate NMDA Receptors in the Control of Respiration in Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Brainstem Neurons

In experiments on Wistar rats, we studied the role of glutamatergic NMDA-receptor neuronal systems in the mechanisms underlying the control of respiration under conditions of aging- or rotenone-induced deviations of energy metabolism in brainstem neurons. Volume/temporal parameters of breathing were estimated by the characteristics of integrated diaphragmatic EMG activity (amplitude, frequency of volleys, and integral intensity). Changes in the diaphragmatic EMG activity upon hypoxic loading (breathing a 12 % О2-containing gas mixture) were recorded prior to and after injection of the blocker of NMDA receptors МK-801. The obtained data indicate that regulation of the characteristics of respiratory activity formed at the level of brainstem structures can be determined by the mitochondrial energy status in brainstem neurons. It seems possible that such control of the respiratory activity is mediated by ATP-dependent activation of the enzymes responsible for transformation/catabolism of the main neurotransmitters, glutamate and its derivative GABA.