Aortic diastolic caliber changes as a determinant for complete aortic baroreceptor resetting

It is well known that baroreceptors reset to operate at higher pressure in hypertension. The time course and mechanisms responsible for resetting are still unclear. There is a rapid or acute partial resetting that reaches its maximum within the first 5-15 min but changes little within the first hours. This resetting is, however, partial and becomes complete only if the pressure change is held permanently. Resetting is complete when the change in pressure threshold for baroreceptor activation matches the total pressure change. In the rat, complete resetting to hypo- or hypertension occurs in 48 h. The aortic caliber was studied in freely moving rats during the development of sustained hypertension produced by subdiaphragmatic aortic constriction. A striking coincidence was observed between the time taken for the diastolic caliber to reach maximal dilation and the time taken for complete resetting of the aortic baroreceptors. Moreover, during sudden pressure increases, the displacement of the diastolic caliber is much greater than the increase in pulsation, which indicates that in conscious rats the operational level of the resting diastolic caliber is an important factor for aortic baroreceptor distortion.