Brain dopamine, in relation to the limbic system, is involved in cognition and emotion. These functions are asymmetrically processed. Hypertension not only alters such functions but also their asymmetric brain pattern as well as their bilateral pattern of neurovisceral integration. The central and peripheral renin-angiotensin systems, particularly the aminopeptidases involved in its enzymatic cascade, play an important role in blood pressure control. In the present study, we report how these aminopeptidases from left and right cortico-limbic locations, plasma and systolic blood pressure interact among them in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) unilaterally depleted of dopamine. The study comprises left and right sham and left and right lesioned (dopamine-depleted) rats as research groups. Results revealed important differences in the bilateral behavior comparing sham left versus sham right, lesioned left versus lesioned right, and sham versus lesioned animals. Results also suggest an important role for the asymmetrical functioning of the amygdala in cardiovascular control and an asymmetrical behavior in the interaction between the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala with plasma, depending on the left or right depletion of dopamine. Compared with previous results of a similar study in Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) normotensive rats, the asymmetrical behaviors differ significantly between both WKY and SHR strains.
Keywords: aminopeptidases; amygdala; asymmetrical neurovisceral integration; brain asymmetry; dopamine; hippocampus; hypertension; limbic system; medial prefrontal cortex; proteinases; renin-angiotensin system.