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Circadian Regulation of Blood Pressure: of Mice and Men

  • Sleep and Hypertension (SJ Thomas, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Blood pressure (BP) exhibits strong diurnal variations that have been shown to be important for normal physiology and health. In this review, we highlight recent advances in both basic and clinic research on how the circadian clock affects these BP rhythms.

Recent Findings

Tissue-specific and inducible knockout rodent models have provided novel ways to dissect how circadian clocks regulate BP rhythms and demonstrated that loss of these rhythms is associated with the development of disease. The use of circadian-specific research protocols has translated findings from rodent models to humans, providing insight into circadian control of BP, as well as how sleep, activity, and other factors influence diurnal BP rhythms.

Summary

Circadian mechanisms play an important role in the regulation of diurnal BP rhythms. Future research needs to extend these findings to clinical populations and determine the extent to which circadian factors may play a role in the development of novel treatment approaches to the management of hypertension.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants 15SFRN2390002 and 19CDA34660139 from the American Heart Association to SJT and the National Institute of Health T32 DK007545 to MKR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Megan K. Rhoads

  2. Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Vikhram Balagee

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, SC1010, 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, 35294-0017, USA

    S. Justin Thomas

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  1. Megan K. Rhoads
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Rhoads, M.K., Balagee, V. & Thomas, S.J. Circadian Regulation of Blood Pressure: of Mice and Men. Curr Hypertens Rep 22, 40 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-020-01043-3

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