Stern JE, Potapenko ES. Enhanced NMDA receptor-mediated intracellular calcium signaling in magnocellular neurosecretory neurons in heart failure rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 305: R414 -R422, 2013. First published June 19, 2013 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00160.2013.-An enhanced glutamate excitatory function within the hypothalamic supraoptic and paraventricluar nuclei is known to contribute to increased neurosecretory and presympathetic neuronal activity, and hence, neurohumoral activation, during heart failure (HF). Still, the precise mechanisms underlying enhanced glutamate-driven neuronal activity in HF remain to be elucidated. Here, we performed simultaneous electrophysiology and fast confocal Ca 2ϩ imaging to determine whether altered N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated changes in intracellular Ca 2ϩ levels (NMDA-⌬Ca 2ϩ ) occurred in hypothalamic magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNCs) in HF rats. We found that activation of NMDA receptors resulted in a larger ⌬Ca 2ϩ in MNCs from HF when compared with sham rats. The enhanced NMDA-⌬Ca 2ϩ was neither dependent on the magnitude of the NMDA-mediated current (voltage clamp) nor on the degree of membrane depolarization or firing activity evoked by NMDA (current clamp). Differently from NMDA receptor activation, firing activity evoked by direct membrane depolarization resulted in similar changes in intracellular Ca 2ϩ in sham and HF rats. Taken together, our results support a relatively selective alteration of intracellular Ca 2ϩ homeostasis and signaling following activation of NMDA receptors in MNCs during HF. The downstream functional consequences of such altered ⌬Ca 2ϩ signaling during HF are discussed.NMDA; vasopressin; supraoptic; glutamate; Ca 2ϩ SYMPATHOHUMORAL ACTIVATION involving augmented sympathetic tone and elevated hormonal plasma levels, including vasopressin (VP) and angiotensin II, among others (37,43,73), is a key central nervous system pathophysiological process in congestive heart failure (HF). Chronically elevated plasma VP levels have been reported both in animal models and human patients with HF (15, 19, 52, 62) being an important factor contributing to altered fluid/electrolyte balance, as well as detrimental myocardial effects (17,18,40,44,53). The importance of VP in HF is also underscored by several clinical trials demonstrating that VP receptor antagonism efficiently improves water balance and hemodynamic parameters in HF patients (2, 9, 41). Thus the VP system is currently emerging as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of HF (14). Despite its major impact on morbidity and mortality in HF patients (7), the precise mechanisms contributing to neurohumoral activation, including elevated VP release in HF, remain incompletely understood.The hypothalamic supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei are crucial centers involved in autonomic and neuroendocrine regulation of the circulation (23, 60). Within these nuclei, magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNCs) directly control VP (and oxytocin) release into...