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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Assessing Cerebral Autoregulation via Oscillatory Lower Body Negative Pressure and Projection Pursuit Regression
Published on: December 10, 2014
The operation of autoregulatory feedback loops in noradrenergic transmission to cardiovascular effector tissues
Abstract:
The effects of alpha-adrenoceptor blocking drugs on circulating catecholamines or neurogenically released noradrenaline will depend on their relative selectivity for prejunctional or postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptors. Relatively selective prejunctional alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists will block the inhibitory feedback mechanism at sympathetic nerve terminals, thus increasing transmitter release, which will tend to overcome any postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptor blockade, and responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation will be resistant to blockade. They will have noradrenolytic activity in doses which are not sympatholytic; they may even enhance sympathetic nerve activity. In contrast, selective postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptor blocking drugs will be noradrenolytic and sympatholytic. Prazosin has weak prejunctional alpha-adrenoceptors blocking activity, but is relatively selective for postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptors. Yohimbine is relatively selective for prejunctional alpha-adrenoceptors, and phentolamine is not highly selective. Selectivity for postjunctional alpha-adrenoceptors appears to be a desirable action for an antihypertensive drug of this type.
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