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The sympathetic control of blood pressure

Patrice G Guyenet1

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, Health Sciences Center, University of Virginia, 1300 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908-0735, USA. pgg@virginia.edu

Nature Reviews. Neuroscience
|June 9, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Hypertension, a chronic elevation of blood pressure, is often linked to increased sympathetic tone. This review explores how elevated sympathetic tone develops and contributes to this widespread cardiovascular disease.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Hypertension is a significant global health issue.
  • The precise causes of most hypertension cases are unknown.
  • Elevated sympathetic nervous system activity is increasingly implicated in hypertension.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the mechanisms generating sympathetic tone to cardiovascular organs.
  • To discuss the contribution of elevated sympathetic tone to hypertension.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing research on sympathetic nervous system activity and hypertension.
  • Analysis of physiological pathways involved in sympathetic tone regulation.

Main Results:

  • Sympathetic tone is generated through complex central and peripheral neural pathways.
  • Sustained elevation of sympathetic tone can directly promote hypertensive conditions.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the generation of sympathetic tone is crucial for hypertension research.
  • Targeting sympathetic pathways may offer therapeutic strategies for hypertension.

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