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Neurochemistry of Pressure‐Induced Nitrogen and Metabolically Inert Gas Narcosis in the Central Nervous System

Jean‐Claude Rostain, Cécile Lavoute

10.1002/cphy.c150024

Source: Volume 6, Issue 3, July 2016

Published online: June 2016

Full Article on Wiley Online Library



ABSTRACT

Gases that are not metabolized by the organism are thus chemically inactive under normal conditions. Such gases include the “noble gases” of the Periodic Table as well as hydrogen and nitrogen. At increasing pressure, nitrogen induces narcosis at 4 absolute atmospheres (ATAs) and more in humans and at 11 ATA and more in rats. Electrophysiological and neuropharmacological studies suggest that the striatum is a target of nitrogen narcosis. Glutamate and dopamine release from the striatum in rats are decreased by exposure to nitrogen at a pressure of 31 ATA (75% of the anesthetic threshold). Striatal dopamine levels decrease during exposure to compressed argon, an inert gas more narcotic than nitrogen, or to nitrous oxide, an anesthetic gas. Inversely, striatal dopamine levels increase during exposure to compressed helium, an inert gas with a very low narcotic potency. Exposure to nitrogen at high pressure does not change N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor activities in Substantia Nigra compacta and striatum but enhances gama amino butyric acidA (GABAA) receptor activities in Substantia Nigra compacta. The decrease in striatal dopamine levels in response to hyperbaric nitrogen exposure is suppressed by recurrent exposure to nitrogen narcosis, and dopamine levels increase after four or five exposures. This change, the lack of improvement of motor disturbances, the desensitization of GABAA receptors on dopamine cells during recurrent exposures and the long‐lasting decrease of glutamate coupled with the higher sensitivity of NMDA receptors, suggest a nitrogen toxicity induced by repetitive exposures to narcosis. These differential changes in different neurotransmitter receptors would support the binding protein theory. © 2016 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 6:1579‐1590, 2016.

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Figure 1. Figure 1. Relationships between depth of sea water, absolute pressure, relative pressure, and oxygen or nitrogen partial pressure
Figure 2. Figure 2. Network of basal ganglia structures and pathways. NSP, nigrostriatal pathway.
Figure 3. Figure 3. Changes of striatal DA level during exposures of 4 hours to relative pressure of 3 MPa of nitrogen‐oxygen mixture. Results are expressed as percentage difference from control value. Data are presented as median and 25 to 75 percentiles (U Mann‐Whitney test *P < 0.5; **P < 0.02; ***P < 0.001). [Authorisation of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal (Rostain et al. 97).]
Figure 4. Figure 4. Median values and 25 to 75 percentile of DA level in the striatum of rats exposed to absolute pressure of 3.1 MPa (31 ATA) of helium‐oxygen mixture, or nitrogen‐oxygen mixture, 2.1 MPa (21 ATA) of argon‐oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa) and nitrous oxide at 0.2 MPa (2ATA) (80 KPa of N2O). [Authorisation of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal (Rostain et al. 97).]
Figure 5. Figure 5. Maximal changes of striatal DA, glutamate (GLU), serotonin (5HT), and aspartate (ASP) levels, during exposures to relative pressure of 3 MPa of nitrogen oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa). Data obtained by HPLC analyses from microdialysis. Data are presented as median and 25 to 75 percentiles expressed as percentage difference from control value. (U Mann‐Witney test ***P < 0.001.)
Figure 6. Figure 6. Maximal changes in rat striatal DA and striatal glutamate during NMDA retrodialysis at atmospheric pressure and at relative pressure of 3 MPa (31 ATA of absolute pressure) of nitrogen oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa). (U Mann‐Whitney test ***P < 0.001.)
Figure 7. Figure 7. Changes in striatal DA level at atmospheric pressure (gray blocks) and at relative pressure of 3MPa of nitrogen‐oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa) (white block) expressed as percentage difference from control value, without drug and with injection into substantia nigra of muscimol (MUS) agonist of GABAA receptor, gabazine (GAB) antagonist of GABAA receptor, NMDA agonist of NMDA receptor, 2‐amino‐7‐phosphonoheptanoic acid (APH) antagonist of NMDA receptor. Mann‐Whitney U test was performed at atmospheric pressure between changes obtained for each drug and control value and at pressure, between changes obtained for each drug and value without drug (**P < 0.02; ***P < 0.001).
Figure 8. Figure 8. Changes in striatal DA level at relative pressure of 3 MPa of nitrogen‐oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa) expressed as percentage difference from control value, without drug and with injection into substantia nigra of MUS agonist of GABAA receptor, GAB antagonist of GABAA receptor, NMDA agonist of NMDA receptor, APH antagonist of NMDA receptor before and after recurrent exposition to nitrogen narcosis. Mann‐Whitney U test was performed between changes obtained for each drug and values without drug before repetitive exposure (white blocks) and after repetitive exposure (black blocks) (**P < 0.02; ***P < 0.001).


Figure 1. Relationships between depth of sea water, absolute pressure, relative pressure, and oxygen or nitrogen partial pressure


Figure 2. Network of basal ganglia structures and pathways. NSP, nigrostriatal pathway.


Figure 3. Changes of striatal DA level during exposures of 4 hours to relative pressure of 3 MPa of nitrogen‐oxygen mixture. Results are expressed as percentage difference from control value. Data are presented as median and 25 to 75 percentiles (U Mann‐Whitney test *P < 0.5; **P < 0.02; ***P < 0.001). [Authorisation of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal (Rostain et al. 97).]


Figure 4. Median values and 25 to 75 percentile of DA level in the striatum of rats exposed to absolute pressure of 3.1 MPa (31 ATA) of helium‐oxygen mixture, or nitrogen‐oxygen mixture, 2.1 MPa (21 ATA) of argon‐oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa) and nitrous oxide at 0.2 MPa (2ATA) (80 KPa of N2O). [Authorisation of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal (Rostain et al. 97).]


Figure 5. Maximal changes of striatal DA, glutamate (GLU), serotonin (5HT), and aspartate (ASP) levels, during exposures to relative pressure of 3 MPa of nitrogen oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa). Data obtained by HPLC analyses from microdialysis. Data are presented as median and 25 to 75 percentiles expressed as percentage difference from control value. (U Mann‐Witney test ***P < 0.001.)


Figure 6. Maximal changes in rat striatal DA and striatal glutamate during NMDA retrodialysis at atmospheric pressure and at relative pressure of 3 MPa (31 ATA of absolute pressure) of nitrogen oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa). (U Mann‐Whitney test ***P < 0.001.)


Figure 7. Changes in striatal DA level at atmospheric pressure (gray blocks) and at relative pressure of 3MPa of nitrogen‐oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa) (white block) expressed as percentage difference from control value, without drug and with injection into substantia nigra of muscimol (MUS) agonist of GABAA receptor, gabazine (GAB) antagonist of GABAA receptor, NMDA agonist of NMDA receptor, 2‐amino‐7‐phosphonoheptanoic acid (APH) antagonist of NMDA receptor. Mann‐Whitney U test was performed at atmospheric pressure between changes obtained for each drug and control value and at pressure, between changes obtained for each drug and value without drug (**P < 0.02; ***P < 0.001).


Figure 8. Changes in striatal DA level at relative pressure of 3 MPa of nitrogen‐oxygen mixture (PpO2 = 40 KPa) expressed as percentage difference from control value, without drug and with injection into substantia nigra of MUS agonist of GABAA receptor, GAB antagonist of GABAA receptor, NMDA agonist of NMDA receptor, APH antagonist of NMDA receptor before and after recurrent exposition to nitrogen narcosis. Mann‐Whitney U test was performed between changes obtained for each drug and values without drug before repetitive exposure (white blocks) and after repetitive exposure (black blocks) (**P < 0.02; ***P < 0.001).
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Article Title: Neurochemistry of Pressure‐Induced Nitrogen and Metabolically Inert Gas Narcosis in the Central Nervous System
 

How to Cite

Jean‐Claude Rostain, Cécile Lavoute. Neurochemistry of Pressure‐Induced Nitrogen and Metabolically Inert Gas Narcosis in the Central Nervous System. Compr Physiol 2016, 6: 1579-1590. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c150024