ArticlePhysiological reports2017
Evidence that remodeling of insular cortex neurovascular unit contributes to hypertension-related sympathoexcitation.
Article in Physiological reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- The solitary nucleus connectivity to key autonomic regions in humans.The European journal of neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- The brain-heart axis: effects of cardiovascular disease on the CNS and opportunities for central neuromodulation.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2026Review
- The Overlooked Driver of Hypertension: Mental Stress at the Crossroad of Cardiology and Psychiatry.Current atherosclerosis reports · 2025Review
- Structure and function of neurovascular unit in arterial hypertension.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2025Review
- The insular cortex, autonomic asymmetry and cardiovascular control: looking at the right side of stroke.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2024Review
- Hypothalamic Regulation of Cardiorespiratory Functions: Insights into the Dorsomedial and Perifornical Pathways.Biology · 2024Review
- A neural perspective on the treatment of hypertension: the neurological network excitation and inhibition (E/I) imbalance in hypertension.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2024Review
- Neurogenic Background for Emotional Stress-Associated Hypertension.Current hypertension reports · 2023Review
- Anxiety and hypertension in the COVID-19 era: how is the central autonomic network linked?Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2022Article
- Day-to-day blood pressure variability in COVID-19: A biomarker of disrupted central autonomic network.Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) · 2022Article
- Ictal and Interictal Cardiac Manifestations in Epilepsy. A Review of Their Relation With an Altered Central Control of Autonomic Functions and With the Risk of SUDEP.Frontiers in neurology · 2021Review
- Increased Catecholamine Levels and Inflammatory Mediators Alter Barrier Properties of Brain Microvascular Endothelial CellsFrontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2020Article
- How the insula speaks to the heart: Cardiac responses to insular stimulation in humans.Human brain mapping · 2019Article
- Evidence that remodeling of insular cortex neurovascular unit contributes to hypertension-related sympathoexcitation.Physiological reports · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The intermediate region of the posterior insular cortex (intermediate IC) mediates sympathoexcitatory responses to the heart and kidneys. Previous studies support hypertension-evoked changes to the structure and function of neurons, blood vessels, astrocytes and microglia, disrupting the organization of the neurovascular unit (NVU). In this study, we evaluated the functional and anatomical integrity of the NVU at the intermediate IC in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and its control the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY). Under urethane anesthesia, NMDA microinjection (0.2 mmol/L/100 nL) was performed at the intermediate IC with simultaneous recording of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Alterations in NVU structure were investigated by immunofluorescence for NMDA receptors (NR1), blood vessels (70 kDa FITC-dextran), astrocytes (GFAP), and microglia (Iba1). Injections of NMDA into intermediate IC of SHR evoked higher amplitude responses of RSNA, MAP, and HR On the other hand, NMDA receptor blockade decreased baseline RSNA, MAP and HR in SHR, with no changes in WKY Immunofluorescence data from SHR intermediate IC showed increased NMDA receptor density, contributing to the SHR enhanced sympathetic responses, and increased in vascular density (increased number of branches and endpoints, reduced average branch length), suggesting angiogenesis. Additionally, IC from SHR presented increased GFAP immunoreactivity and contact between astrocyte processes and blood vessels. In SHR, IC microglia skeleton analysis supports their activation (reduced number of branches, junctions, endpoints and process length), suggesting an inflammatory process in this region. These findings indicate that neurogenic hypertension in SHR is accompanied by marked alterations to the NVU within the IC and enhanced NMDA-mediated sympathoexcitatory responses likely contributors of the maintenance of hypertension.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.