title: Remote effects of pressure changes in arterioles.
abstract: Blood is distributed to match the demands of the tissue in accordance with the local effectors of pressure, flow, nerves, and metabolites. Influences of these effectors are integrated and communicated to larger vessels to create a coordinated upstream response that allows for the blood required to meet the metabolic demands of the tissue. Each effector's contribution to the communicated response is unknown. In the present study in situ segments of arteriole, within the cheek pouch of the anesthetized hamster, were isolated from the pressure and flow of the surrounding vasculature while maintaining electrotonic continuity. Pressure was transiently increased or decreased (-70 to +120 cmH2O) for 60 s. These pressure changes within the isolated segment caused myogenic responses within the isolated segment as well as changes in diameter at remote arteriolar locations (ranging from -8 to 5 microns) that were outside the isolated segment and insulated from the changes in pressure. The size of the remote response correlated significantly with the change in pressure inside the isolated segment. This demonstrates that the effects of pressure changes in arterioles are communicated to neighboring portions of the vasculature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York 14620.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Rivers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001160:Arterioles / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D002610:Cheek / Q000098:blood supply; D006224:Cricetinae; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology