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Hypothalamic oxytocin

A cerebrovascular modulator in man?

Department of Neurology (Drs. Abrams, Nilaver, Recht, and Zimmerman), College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University; and the Department of Biological Sciences iDr. Haldar), St. Johns University, New York, NY.

Immunocytochemical studies in normal rats show an association between oxytocin (OT) neurons and cerebral blood vessels. This is supported by the finding of neurophysin (NP) immunoreactivity in blood vessels and piaarachnoid tissue of rats with hereditary vasopressin (VP) and VP-NP deficiency. OT and OT-NP fibers were visualized in pia-arachnoid and blood vessels at the base of the brain and, to a lesser extent, over the dorsal surface. OT constricts human basilar artery with a threshold response in the 10 ¹⁰ M range, and an ED₅₀ of 4.8 x 10 ⁹ M. These observations suggest that extrahypothalamic projections of OT neurons may modulate cerebrovascular function.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Abrams, Department of Neurnlogy, Columbia University, 650 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032.

Supported by USPHS Grants HD13147 and TIDA KO7-00478.

Presented in part at the thirty-fourth annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Washington, DC. April 1982.

Accepted for publication October 26, 1984.