In this study, we examined the effect of excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptor blockade in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) on the renal sympathetic baroreflex in conscious rabbits. Rabbits were implanted with guide cannulas for bilateral microinjections into the RVLM (Ï©2 to Ï©3 mm from the obex, n Ï 8) or into the intermediate ventrolateral medulla (IVLM; 0 to Ï©1 mm from the obex, n Ï 5) and with an electrode for measuring renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA). After 7 days of recovery, microinjection of the EAA receptor antagonist kynurenate (10 nmol) into the RVLM did not affect resting RSNA or arterial pressure. Kynurenate decreased the gain of the RSNA baroreflex by 53% but did not change the reflex range. By contrast, injection of kynurenate into the IVLM increased resting arterial pressure and RSNA by 27 mmHg and 88%, respectively, but did not alter the RSNA baroreflex gain or range. Pentobarbital sodium anesthesia attenuated the gain and range of the RSNA baroreflex by 78 and 40%, respectively. Under these conditions, microinjection of kynurenate into the RVLM did not cause any further change in the gain of this reflex. These results suggest that endogenous EAA neurotransmitters in the RVLM are important in modulating the sympathetic baroreflex in conscious rabbits. Anesthesia can mask the functional significance of EAAs in the RVLM in modulating the baroreflexes, which may explain why previous studies in anesthetized animals found no effect of blocking EAA receptors in the RVLM on sympathetic baroreflexes. excitatory amino acids; kynurenate; arterial pressure; anesthesia; heart rate THE PRESSOR REGION of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) is critical in the generation and maintenance of sympathetic activity and is also an essential part of the central baroreflex pathways (8,9,15). The GABAergic synapse is believed to be a principal relay in the RVLM in transmission of baroreceptor information, because blockade of GABA receptors in this area abolished the vasomotor component of the reflex (8,15). By contrast, the excitatory amino acids (EAAs) in the RVLM are thought to play a little role in mediating cardiovascular responses to baroreceptor stimulation. This assumption is supported by numerous findings that the blockade of ionotropic EAA receptors in the region with local administration of kynurenate did not affect sympathetic baroreflexes in rats (27, 40), rabbits (41), or cats (12). This contrasts with the essential role of EAAs in the RVLM in mediating many other cardiovascular reflexes. In particular, administration of kynurenate into the RVLM has been shown to attenuate the pressor and sympathoexcitatory reflex responses to hypothalamic stimulation (40), muscular contraction (4), noxious stimulation (34), and renal and vagal afferent stimulation (6, 41) in anesthetized animals. Furthermore, this also contrasts with the ability of glutamate, given into the RVLM, to enhance the sympathetic baroreflex, indicating that local glutamate-sensitive inputs may also play a role in modulating bar...