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Central Nervous System Dysfunction in Obesity-Induced Hypertension

  • Hypertension and the Brain (S Stocker, Section Editor)
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Abstract

The activation of the sympathetic nervous system is a major mechanism underlying both human and experimental models of obesity-related hypertension. While insulin and the adipokine leptin have long been thought to contribute to obesity-related neurogenic mechanisms, the evidence is now very strong that they play a major role, shown particularly in animal studies using selective receptor antagonists. There is not just maintenance of leptin’s sympatho-excitatory actions as previously suggested but considerable amplification particularly in renal sympathetic nervous activity. Importantly, these changes are not dependent on short-term elevation or reduction in plasma leptin or insulin, but require some weeks to develop indicating a slow “neural adaptivity” within hypothalamic signalling. These effects can be carried across generations even when offspring are raised on a normal diet. A better understanding of the underlying mechanism should be a high research priority given the prevalence of obesity not just in the current population but also for future generations.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC; APP526618 and APP1043205). The study was supported, in part, by the Victorian Government’s Operational Infrastructure Support Program. G.A. Head was funded by an NHMRC Fellowship (APP1002186). K. Lim was funded by an NHMRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (APP1053928). P.J. Davern was funded an NHMRC/National Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (APP1012881).

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Conflict of Interest

Geoffrey A. Head, Kyungjoon Lim, Benjamin Barzel, Sandra L. Burke, and Pamela J. Davern have received a grant from the National Health & Medical Research Council of Australia.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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  1. Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, P.O. Box 6492, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia

    Geoffrey A. Head, Kyungjoon Lim, Benjamin Barzel, Sandra L. Burke & Pamela J. Davern

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  1. Geoffrey A. Head
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  2. Kyungjoon Lim
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Correspondence to Geoffrey A. Head.

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Head, G.A., Lim, K., Barzel, B. et al. Central Nervous System Dysfunction in Obesity-Induced Hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rep 16, 466 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-014-0466-4

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