Coupling of cerebral blood flow to neuronal activation: role of adenosine and nitric oxide.

We studied the role and relationship of the putative mediators of coupling of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and neuronal activation, adenosine (Ado) and nitric oxide (NO). Topical brain application over the whisker barrel cortex of anesthetized rats (n = 24) of the Ado receptor antagonist theophylline (Theo, 5 x 10(-5) M) for 30 min reduced the CBF response to deflection of the contralateral whiskers from 17.9 +/- 3.0% of baseline to 10.6 +/- 2.7% (P < 0.05). Coapplication of Theo (5 x 10(-5) M) and the NO synthase blocker N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 10(-3) M) for 30 min led to a further reduction in the CBF response to whisker stimulation to 7.5 +/- 1.3% (P < 0.05 compared with Theo alone). The CBF effect of sodium nitroprusside (10(-5) M) was not affected by Theo-L-NNA coapplication (122 +/- 25 vs. 140 +/- 25%, n = 5). Application of adenosine deaminase (1 U/ml, n = 5) reduced the CBF response to whisker stimulation from 18.2 +/- 0.7 to 10.7 +/- 1.9% (P < 0.05). Superfusion of L-NNA (10(-3) M, 30 min, n = 7) attenuated the CBF response to application of Ado (10(-4) M) from 39.4 +/- 10.4 to 22.9 +/- 10.5% (P < 0.05). N omega-nitro-D-arginine did not affect the CBF response to Ado (n = 5). We conclude that 1) Ado is involved in coupling of CBF to neuronal activation, 2) NO is involved in this response as well, and 3) there is an interaction between the vasodilator pathways of Ado and NO.