Longitudinal interrogation of sympathetic neural circuits and hemodynamics in preclinical models

Neurological disorders, including spinal cord injury, result in hemodynamic instability due to the disruption of supraspinal projections to the sympathetic circuits located in the spinal cord. We recently developed a preclinical model that allows the identification of the topology and dynamics through which sympathetic circuits modulate hemodynamics, supporting the development of a neuroprosthetic baroreflex that precisely controls blood pressure in rats, monkeys and humans with spinal cord injuries. Here, we describe the continuous monitoring of arterial blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity over several months in preclinical models of chronic neurological disorders using commercially available telemetry technologies, as well as optogenetic and neuronal tract-tracing procedures specifically adapted to the sympathetic circuitry. Using a blueprint to construct a negative-pressure chamber, the approach enables the reproduction, in rats, of well-controlled and reproducible episodes of hypotension-mimicking orthostatic challenges already used in humans. Blood pressure variations can thus be directly induced and linked to the molecular, functional and anatomical properties of specific neurons in the brainstem, spinal cord and ganglia. Each procedure can be completed in under 2 h, while the construction of the negative-pressure chamber requires up to 1 week. With training, individuals with a basic understanding of cardiovascular physiology, engineering or neuroscience can collect longitudinal recordings of hemodynamics and sympathetic nerve activity over several months.