PURINERGIC TRANSMISSION AND CENTRAL AUTONOMIC REGULATION

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The brain regulates bodily functions in a complex manner. One such example is the regulation of blood pressure and heart rate. This is achieved by an interconnected network of brain nuclei that sense information from the major blood vessels and integrate appropriate responses to maintain the status quo. Chemicals called neurotransmitters convey the nervous messages, and one such example is purines, which include ATP and adenosine. Both ATP and adenosine can act in a number of brain regions to modulate blood pressure and heart rate. This project is designed to characterise the mechanism by which purines act within specific brain nuclei to regulate the cardiovascular system. Considering the large economic burden on the healthcare system caused by cardiovascular disease, this research is vital to increase our understanding of how diseases such as hypertension may be caused, and therefore provide improved therapeutic strategies.