The role of tachykinin receptors in the control of respiration by the nucleus of the solitary tract

The tachykinins are a family of peptides found extensively throughout the mammalian nervous system. In the brain stem, tachykinins, including substance P (SP) and neurokinin A (NKA), are present in areas involved in the integration of cardiovascular and respiratory reflexes. However, little is known of the role played by tachykinins and tachykinin receptors at such sites. The overall aim of the studies presented in this thesis was to describe the respiratory actions of tachykinins, the identity of the receptors involved and subsequently examine the regulation of tachykinin receptors in the rat brain stem, using both in vivo (respiratory response to microinjection of drugs in to the commissural nucleus of the solitary tract (cNTS)) and in vitro techniques (radioligand binding and autoradiography).