RENAL SYMPATHETIC NERVE ACTIVITY MEASURED BY NOREPINEPHRINE SPILLOVER RATE IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE IN CONSCIOUS RABBITS

1. Renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in response to changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) was examined by measuring renal norepinephrine (NE) spillover rate in conscious rabbits. 2. A chronic renal vein catheter was implanted for sampling renal venous blood without stress in conscious animals. 3. RSNA estimated by renal NE spillover rate significantly increased in response to moderate falls in MAP produced by sodium nitroprusside (SNP) infusion and decreased in response to moderate rises in MAP produced by phenylephrine (PE) infusion. 4. The NE spillover method is sufficiently sensitive to detect responses of RSNA to physiological stimuli in conscious rabbits.