Animal models, hypertension, and central nervous system mechanisms.

Accumulating evidence suggests that the central nervous system plays a fundamental role in chronic hypertension. On the other hand, the means by which nervous factors influence the long-term control of blood pressure remain obscure. Animal models that replicate some of the functional aspects of essential hypertension in man have been of value and continue to provide insight into the complexity of the problem. Although none of the experimental models gives definitive answers, separate and combined analyses suggest the multiplicity of sites at which the stimulus must be applied for blood pressure to remain elevated.