Regulation of circadian blood pressure: from mice to astronauts

Genes Influencing Circadian Differences in Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Mice

Essential hypertension is a common multifactorial heritable condition in which increased sympathetic outflow from the central nervous system is involved in the elevation in blood pressure (BP), as well as the exaggerated morning surge in BP that is a risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke in hypertensive patients. The Schlager BPH/2J mouse is a genetic model of hypertension in which i...

Smooth-muscle BMAL1 participates in blood pressure circadian rhythm regulation.

As the central pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) has long been considered the primary regulator of blood pressure circadian rhythm; however, this dogma has been challenged by the discovery that each of the clock genes present in the SCN is also expressed and functions in peripheral tissues. The involvement and contribution of these peripheral clock genes in the circadian rhythm of bl...

Circadian blood pressure and heart rate rhythms in mice.

The circadian pattern of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) was measured in C57BL mice with carotid arterial catheters. Cardiovascular parameters were recorded continuously with a computerized monitoring system at a sampling rate of 100 Hz. The tethered animals were healthy, showing stabilized drinking and eating patterns within 2 days of surgery and little loss of body weight. An...

Dysfunctional vestibular system causes a blood pressure drop in astronauts returning from space

It is a challenge for the human body to maintain stable blood pressure while standing. The body's failure to do so can lead to dizziness or even fainting. For decades it has been postulated that the vestibular organ can prevent a drop in pressure during a position change--supposedly mediated by reflexes to the cardiovascular system. We show--for the first time--a significant correlation between...

Analysis of circadian blood pressure rhythms.