Recent trends in studies of the etiology of hypertension: Central nervous system and autonomic nervous system

Abnormality of autonomic nervous system is one of the important mechanisms in hypertension. Arterial baroreceptor reflex control of heart rate and sympathetic nerve activity is reset to higher level of blood pressure in hypertension. Abnormality of arterial baroreceptors has been studied as the mechanism of resetting in hypertension. However, recent studies have been focused on the role of central nervous system. Many factors in peripheral system also exist independently in the brain, such as the renin-angiotensin system, nitric oxide, endothelin-1. They contribute importantly to regulation of blood pressure. New approaches to examine the central control of cardiovascular regulation are now developing. Such methods will be useful in the study of the role of specific genes in the particular areas within the brain that regulate blood pressure.