Role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) in the regulation of glutamate release from cardiovascular afferents in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS)
Information about your blood pressure and heart rate is continuously sent to a specialised area of your brain via nerves. Processing of the information arriving in the brain concerning blood pressure and heart rate involves the release of chemicals called ‘neurotransmitters’. However, the relationship between blood pressure and heart rate and the amount of these transmitters released is yet to be measured in both healthy and diseased hearts. Professor Andrew Ramage and colleagues from University College London are to spend three years with BHF support studying the complex communication that takes place between the brain and ‘heart and blood vessels’ (cardiovascular system). The team is looking at neurotransmitters which are released in a specific area of the brain in response to changes in the body’s blood pressure or heart rate. For the first time, the group will study in real time the release of two important neurotransmitters called glutamate and serotonin in response to different blood pressure and heart rate levels. Understanding the relationship between such changes in the heart and circulatory system and the effects on neurotransmitter release will be important for understanding how the brain and nervous system responds to diseases such as heart failure, potentially identifying new methods for prevention and treatment.
Project details
| Grant amount | £209,220 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 19 May 2014 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Reference | PG/13/79/30429 |
| Status | Complete |
