Monoamine oxidase A-deficiency and noradrenergic respiratory regulations in neonatal mice

In vitro experiments were performed on brainstem-spinal cord preparations from mouse neonates to compare the noradrenergic regulations of the respiratory network in the control C3H/HeJ strain and the transgenic Tg8 strain which has been created from the C3H/HeJ strain by deletion of the gene encoding monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), the main enzyme for serotonin degradation. In both control and MAOA-deficient strains, we show: (i). that the pontine A5 area exerts a potent inhibitory modulation on the respiratory rhythm generator; (ii). that noradrenaline application induces a tonic phrenic activity; and (iii). that noradrenaline increases the respiratory rhythm. The latter effect is however delayed and weak in the Tg8 strain. Therefore, MAOA-deficiency has only slightly altered the noradrenergic regulations of the respiratory network.