Cardiovascular Neuroscience Laboratory - Honours in 2009

An Honours project undertaken in this lab would be administered by the Discipline of Physiology.

The general theme of research in Cardiovascular Neuroscience lab is the control of blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity by the brain (especially brain stem and hypothalamus) both under normal conditions and in abnormal conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension). The laboratory uses a wide range of techniques and experimental approaches, including electrophysiology, immunohistochemistry, and more recently gene transfer methods.

Hypothalamic control of cardiovascular function

Supervisor + contact details:

• Professor Roger Dampney

1. The role of serotonin receptors (particularly of the 5-HT_1a sub-type) in the brain in regulating increases in blood pressure, sympathetic activity and heart rate associated with stress. [Recent discoveries from our laboratory as well as others have demonstrated a highly specific and potent role of brain 5-HT1a receptors in these responses].

2. The mechanisms by which higher brain regions increase sympathetic vasomotor activity, heart rate and respiratory activity during exercise. In particular, we wish to determine whether there are "command neurons" in the hypothalamus or other higher brain regions that have collateral outputs to both cardiovascular and respiratory neurons within the brain stem.

3. The identification of neurons within the hypothalamus or other higher brain regions that are activated during alerting responses and which control the cardiovascular responses associated with thus behaviour.

4. Role of angiotensin II (AngII) receptors in the brain in the regulation of sympathetic activity and blood pressure. We are particularly interested in determining whether alteration of the expression of AngII receptors (by means of gene transfer technology) in key cardiovascular nuclei will lead to sustained changes in blood pressure and heart rate. [AngII receptors in the brain are believed to have a crucial role in the maintenance of increased sympathetic activity in certain types of hypertension and heart failure].