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Cardiovascular regulation during upright standing behavior in conscious rats
Hidefumi Waki1, Kiyoaki Katahira, Masao Yamasaki
1Department of Physiology, Wakayama Medical University School of Medicine, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan. h-waki@wakayama-med.ac.jp
Neuroscience Letters
|November 11, 2008
Summary
Rats frequently stand upright, showing slight arterial pressure decreases and heart rate increases. These cardiovascular responses are maintained even after baroreceptor reflex removal, suggesting other regulatory mechanisms are involved.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular physiology
- Animal behavior
Background:
- Upright standing behavior is common in rats.
- The cardiovascular adjustments during this behavior are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify upright standing behavior in rats.
- To measure cardiovascular responses during this behavior.
- To investigate the role of baroreceptor reflexes in cardiovascular homeostasis during upright standing.
Main Methods:
- Utilized infrared beam detectors to quantify upright standing frequency and duration.
- Measured arterial pressure and heart rate during upright standing behavior.
- Performed sino-aortic denervation to assess baroreceptor reflex function.
Main Results:
- Rats exhibited over 500 upright standing instances per day.
- Upright standing led to a slight decrease in arterial pressure and an increase in heart rate.
- These cardiovascular changes were not significantly affected by sino-aortic denervation.
Conclusions:
- Rats possess complex mechanisms to maintain cardiovascular homeostasis during frequent upright standing.
- The vestibulo-cardiovascular reflex may compensate for the loss of baroreceptor reflex during positional changes.
- These findings highlight the sophisticated integrative control of cardiovascular function in rats.
