Evidence for the Participation of Specific Hypothalamic Pathways in the Pathogenesis of Hypertension

Abstract

Previous studies from our laboratories have demonstrated that a small region of anterior hypothalamus plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of a number of different forms of experimental hypertension [1]. These studies focused on the tissue immediately surrounding the most anterior and ventral portions of the third cerebral ventricle. This tissue, referred to as the AV3V region, was first identified as the site of action for the dipsogenic action of angiotensin administered into the ventricular system. Subsequent studies, which demonstrated that the same neural substrates were critical for the centrally mediated pressor effects of angiotensin, led us to examine the influence of lesion of the AV3V region on the development of renin- and nonrenin-dependent forms of renal hypertension, as well as other forms of hypertension with different etiologies. These studies indicated that one- and two-kidney models of renal hypertension, deoxycorticosterone-salt hypertension, neurogenic hypertension produced by lesions of the nucleus tractus solitarius, and hypertension in Dahl salt-sensitive rats could all be prevented or attenuated by AV3V lesions [2].