The role of renal nerves in the response to dipsogenic stimuli in the rat.
The effect of bilateral renal denervation on water intake and urine volume during specific thirst challenges was studied in rats. Renal denervation attenuated significantly the drinking response elicited by the administration of 30% polyethylene glycol (PG, extracellular challenge) but had no effect on the drinking response after an intracellular challenge (2.5 M NaCl) or after a 24-h water deprivation period. Furthermore, during a PG challenge total water intake was the same in two groups of rats, one with denervated kidneys and the other with beta-adrenergic neural activity in efferent renal nerves eliminated by blocking agents. Urine volumes were not affected by PG administration or water deprivation in denervated rats but were increased significantly after administration of 2.5 M NaCl. These results indicate that renal nerves play an important role in the physiological processes controlling extracellular thirst, and suggest that this role may be related to the neural control of release of renin.
The role of renal nerves in the response to dipsogenic stimuli in the rat. The effect of bilateral renal denervation on water intake and urine volume during specific thirst challenges was studied in rats. Renal denervation attenuated significantly the drinking response elicited by the administration of 30% polyethylene glycol (PG, extracellular challenge) but had no effect on the drinking response after an intracellular challenge (2.5 M NaCl) or after a 24-h water deprivation period. Furthermore, during a PG challenge total water intake was the same in two groups of rats, one with denervated kidneys and the other with beta-adrenergic neural activity in efferent renal nerves eliminated by blocking agents. Urine volumes were not affected by PG administration or water deprivation in denervated rats but were increased significantly after administration of 2.5 M NaCl. These results indicate that renal nerves play an important role in the physiological processes controlling extracellular thirst, and suggest that this role may be related to the neural control of release of renin.