Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Physiology logoLink to The Journal of Physiology
. 1996 Mar 15;491(Pt 3):881–887. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1996.sp021265

Renal noradrenaline spillover correlates with muscle sympathetic activity in humans.

B G Wallin 1, J M Thompson 1, G L Jennings 1, M D Esler 1
PMCID: PMC1158826  PMID: 8815219

Abstract

1. To study the relationship between indices of resting sympathetic traffic in nerves to skeletal muscles and the kidneys, simultaneous measurements were made of muscle sympathetic activity in the peroneal nerve and renal noradrenaline spillover in ten healthy normotensive males aged 18-69 years (mean 42 years). 2. Group mean levels (+/-S.D.) of muscle sympathetic activity and renal spillover were 22 +/- 17 bursts min-1 and 105 +/- 49 ng min-1, respectively. There were significant positive correlations between individual values of muscle sympathetic activity and renal noradrenaline spillover (r = 0.76, P < 0.01) and similarly between muscle sympathetic activity and renal venous plasma concentration of noradrenaline(r = 0.79, P < 0.007). 3. The results indicate that, although the sympathetic system has the capacity for selective activation of different subdivisions, in healthy human subjects resting traffic is similar or proportional in sympathetic nerves to skeletal muscles and the kidney.

Full text

PDF
881

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson E. A., Sinkey C. A., Lawton W. J., Mark A. L. Elevated sympathetic nerve activity in borderline hypertensive humans. Evidence from direct intraneural recordings. Hypertension. 1989 Aug;14(2):177–183. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.14.2.177. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blumberg H., Jänig W., Rieckmann C., Szulczyk P. Baroreceptor and chemoreceptor reflexes in postganglionic neurones supplying skeletal muscle and hairy skin. J Auton Nerv Syst. 1980 Oct;2(3):223–240. doi: 10.1016/0165-1838(80)90013-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bradley T., Hjemdahl P. Further studies on renal nerve stimulation induced release of noradrenaline and dopamine from the canine kidney in situ. Acta Physiol Scand. 1984 Nov;122(3):369–379. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1984.tb07521.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Esler M. D., Thompson J. M., Kaye D. M., Turner A. G., Jennings G. L., Cox H. S., Lambert G. W., Seals D. R. Effects of aging on the responsiveness of the human cardiac sympathetic nerves to stressors. Circulation. 1995 Jan 15;91(2):351–358. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.91.2.351. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Esler M. D., Turner A. G., Kaye D. M., Thompson J. M., Kingwell B. A., Morris M., Lambert G. W., Jennings G. L., Cox H. S., Seals D. R. Aging effects on human sympathetic neuronal function. Am J Physiol. 1995 Jan;268(1 Pt 2):R278–R285. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.1995.268.1.R278. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Esler M., Jackman G., Bobik A., Kelleher D., Jennings G., Leonard P., Skews H., Korner P. Determination of norepinephrine apparent release rate and clearance in humans. Life Sci. 1979 Oct 22;25(17):1461–1470. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(79)90371-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Esler M., Jennings G., Korner P., Willett I., Dudley F., Hasking G., Anderson W., Lambert G. Assessment of human sympathetic nervous system activity from measurements of norepinephrine turnover. Hypertension. 1988 Jan;11(1):3–20. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.11.1.3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Esler M., Jennings G., Leonard P., Sacharias N., Burke F., Johns J., Blombery P. Contribution of individual organs to total noradrenaline release in humans. Acta Physiol Scand Suppl. 1984;527:11–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ferrier C., Cox H., Esler M. Elevated total body noradrenaline spillover in normotensive members of hypertensive families. Clin Sci (Lond) 1993 Feb;84(2):225–230. doi: 10.1042/cs0840225. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gebber G. L., Barman S. M. Rhythmogenesis in the sympathetic nervous system. Fed Proc. 1980 Jun;39(8):2526–2530. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hjemdahl P., Fagius J., Freyschuss U., Wallin B. G., Daleskog M., Bohlin G., Perski A. Muscle sympathetic activity and norepinephrine release during mental challenge in humans. Am J Physiol. 1989 Nov;257(5 Pt 1):E654–E664. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.1989.257.5.E654. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Linden R. J., Mary D. A., Weatherill D. The responses in renal nerves to stimulation of atrial receptors, carotid sinus baroreceptors and carotid chemoreceptors. Q J Exp Physiol. 1981 Apr;66(2):179–191. doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.1981.sp002544. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Medvedev O. S., Esler M. D., Angus J. A., Cox H. S., Eisenhofer G. Simultaneous determination of plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline kinetics. Responses to nitroprusside-induced hypotension and 2-deoxyglucose-induced glucopenia in the rabbit. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1990 Mar;341(3):192–199. doi: 10.1007/BF00169730. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ninomiya I., Nisimaru N., Irisawa H. Sympathetic nerve activity to the spleen, kidney, and heart in response to baroceptor input. Am J Physiol. 1971 Nov;221(5):1346–1351. doi: 10.1152/ajplegacy.1971.221.5.1346. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Noshiro T., Saigusa T., Way D., Dorward P. K., McGrath B. P. Norepinephrine spillover faithfully reflects renal sympathetic nerve activity in conscious rabbits. Am J Physiol. 1991 Jul;261(1 Pt 2):F44–F50. doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.1991.261.1.F44. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rea R. F., Hamdan M. Baroreflex control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity in borderline hypertension. Circulation. 1990 Sep;82(3):856–862. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.82.3.856. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Saito M., Mano T., Iwase S., Koga K., Abe H., Yamazaki Y. Responses in muscle sympathetic activity to acute hypoxia in humans. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1988 Oct;65(4):1548–1552. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1988.65.4.1548. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sanders J. S., Ferguson D. W., Mark A. L. Arterial baroreflex control of sympathetic nerve activity during elevation of blood pressure in normal man: dominance of aortic baroreflexes. Circulation. 1988 Feb;77(2):279–288. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.77.2.279. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Somers V. K., Mark A. L., Zavala D. C., Abboud F. M. Influence of ventilation and hypocapnia on sympathetic nerve responses to hypoxia in normal humans. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1989 Nov;67(5):2095–2100. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1989.67.5.2095. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sundlöf G., Wallin B. G. Effect of lower body negative pressure on human muscle nerve sympathetic activity. J Physiol. 1978 May;278:525–532. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1978.sp012322. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sundlöf G., Wallin B. G. The variability of muscle nerve sympathetic activity in resting recumbent man. J Physiol. 1977 Nov;272(2):383–397. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp012050. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Thompson J. M., Jennings G. L., Chin J. P., Esler M. D. Measurement of human sympathetic nervous responses to stressors by microneurography. J Auton Nerv Syst. 1994 Nov;49(3):277–281. doi: 10.1016/0165-1838(94)90174-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Vallbo A. B., Hagbarth K. E., Torebjörk H. E., Wallin B. G. Somatosensory, proprioceptive, and sympathetic activity in human peripheral nerves. Physiol Rev. 1979 Oct;59(4):919–957. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1979.59.4.919. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Wallin B. G., Burke D., Gandevia S. Coupling between variations in strength and baroreflex latency of sympathetic discharges in human muscle nerves. J Physiol. 1994 Jan 15;474(2):331–338. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1994.sp020025. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Wallin B. G., Eckberg D. L. Sympathetic transients caused by abrupt alterations of carotid baroreceptor activity in humans. Am J Physiol. 1982 Feb;242(2):H185–H190. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.1982.242.2.H185. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wallin B. G., Esler M., Dorward P., Eisenhofer G., Ferrier C., Westerman R., Jennings G. Simultaneous measurements of cardiac noradrenaline spillover and sympathetic outflow to skeletal muscle in humans. J Physiol. 1992;453:45–58. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1992.sp019217. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Wallin B. G., Sundlöf G., Eriksson B. M., Dominiak P., Grobecker H., Lindblad L. E. Plasma noradrenaline correlates to sympathetic muscle nerve activity in normotensive man. Acta Physiol Scand. 1981 Jan;111(1):69–73. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1981.tb06706.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Wallin B. G., Victor R. G., Mark A. L. Sympathetic outflow to resting muscles during static handgrip and postcontraction muscle ischemia. Am J Physiol. 1989 Jan;256(1 Pt 2):H105–H110. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.1989.256.1.H105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Yamada Y., Miyajima E., Tochikubo O., Matsukawa T., Ishii M. Age-related changes in muscle sympathetic nerve activity in essential hypertension. Hypertension. 1989 Jun;13(6 Pt 2):870–877. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.13.6.870. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Physiological Society

RESOURCES