Journal article

Maturation-related changes in the pattern of renal sympathetic nerve activity from fetal life to adulthood

LC Booth, L Bennet, SJ Guild, CJ Barrett, CN May, AJ Gunn, SC Malpas

Experimental Physiology | Published : 2011

Abstract

Sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) has two main properties, the presence of co-ordinated bursts of activity, indicative of many nerve fibres firing at a similar time, and entrainment of the bursts to the cardiac cycle, due to inhibitory input from baroreceptors to a network of cell groups within the CNS. Although this patterning is used as a 'gold standard' for the identification of successful nerve recordings, the maturation of these basic features of SNA from fetal life to adulthood has not been investigated. Using a telemetry-based nerve amplifier, renal SNA (RSNA) was recorded in preterm (99 ± 1 days gestation; term 147 days) and near-term fetal sheep (119 ± 0 days gestation), without anae..

View full abstract

University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia


Funding Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the Auckland Medical Research Foundation and the Lottery Grants Board of New Zealand. L. C. B. was supported by a University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship. C.N.M. was supported by a Research Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia (no. 566819).