OGIRC

University of Western Ontario
Dept. Physiology and Pharmacology

The overall objective of the research programme is the elucidation of neural mechanisms that control arterial pressure and cardiac function during the development of hypertension in males and females. A multidisciplinary approach is used to study central and peripheral components of the autonomic nervous system. The techniques employed in the laboratory are state-of-the-art and include 1) neuroanatomical tract tracing methods combined with immunocytochemistry for the identification of neurotransmitters contained within neural pathways, 2) the identification of gene expression in central structures in hypertension, 3) HPLC and radioimmunoassay for the identification of neurotransmitters and of hormones in the circulation, respectively, 4) the recording of electrical activity from single neurons in the central nervous system to investigate their function in circulatory control, 5) the recording of neuronal membrane currents wing patch-clamp tchniques, 6) the measurement of central metabolic activity using histochemical methods to identify structures that may be involved in the development of hypertension, and 7) recording of cardiovascular variables in the conscious and anesthetized animal.