Vestibular control on blood pressure during parabolic flights in awake rats.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the vestibular system in cardiovascular control in a varying gravito-inertial field induced by parabolic flight. We measured variations in arterial pressure and heart rate in eight awake rats, four of which had undergone bilateral labyrinthectomy 3 months previously. While the control rats showed heart rate and mean arterial pressure modulations depending on gravity level, no such variation was observed in the lesioned rats. This study confirms the role of the vestibular system in cardiovascular control and opens up new prospects for interpreting cardiovascular variations observed during space flights.
Etard
Olivier
O
Laboratoire de Physiologie, UFR de Médecine, 14032 Caen Cedex 1Laboratoire de Neurosciences et Environnement, EA 2122 UFR Sciences, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France.
Reber
Annie
A
Quarck
Gaëlle
G
Normand
Hervé
H
Mulder
Paul
P
Denise
Pierre
P
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D006112:Gravitation; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D016014:Linear Models; D051381:Rats; D013026:Space Flight; D013997:Time Factors; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000502:physiology*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology*