ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the work done in the controversial area of cardiac receptor control of renal function in primates. Most of the cardiac receptor studies done with human subjects have tended to focus on peripheral vascular resistance, especially forearm resistance or microneurographic recordings of muscle and skin sympathetic nerve activity as the parameters being investigated. A few studies have been done in patients to assess cardiac receptor control of renal function or factors that may affect salt and water balance. Cardiac receptor function in disease states other than heart failure or hypertension has not been well-studied, but there are some isolated reports. The most common maneuver used is lower-body pressure, mainly lower-body negative pressure (LBNP) to thus investigate effects secondary to unloading of these receptors. The assumption being made here is that low-level LBNP “unloads” only low-pressure cardiopulmonary baroreceptors, whereas higher levels of LBNP unload both cardiopulmonary and high-pressure sinoaortic baroreceptors.
