Discharge pattern of renal sympathetic nerve activity in the conscious rat: spectral analysis of integrated activity.

We investigated the periodic characteristics of bursting discharge in renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in conscious rats. Employing a discrete fast Fourier transform algorithm, a power spectrum analysis was used to quantify periodicities present in rectified and integrated RSNA whose signal-to-noise ratio in the recordings was greater than six. In conscious rats with intact baroreceptors, RSNA was characterized by four frequency components occurring at about 0.5, 1.5, 6, and 12 Hz, which corresponded to the low-frequency fluctuation of heart rate, respiration, and frequency of heart beat, and its harmonics, respectively. After intravenous infusion of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) to elicit reflex increases in RSNA and heart rate, the power for the component at 6 Hz followed the changes in heart beat frequency and was significantly increased, while those for the three other components were attenuated or experienced no change. In sino-aortic denervated (SAD) conscious rats, all four components were abolished, and the power spectrum was well fitted by a flat or Lorentzian curve, suggesting an almost random pattern. Only a respiratory-related component, which suggested common central modulation, appeared sporadically for short periods but was absent for the most part. Therefore most of this component together with the low-frequency component was also likely due to the baroreceptor-dependent peripheral modulation. The activity was sorted in 15 subgroups on the basis of spike amplitudes in the RSNA. Each subgroup showed frequency characteristics similar to the whole nerve activity. These results suggest that all periodicity in the RSNA of conscious rats with intact baroreceptors is caused by the baroreceptor input.