The relationship between renal sympathetic nerve activity and arterial pressure after selective denervation of baroreceptors and chemoreceptors.

The relationship between an acute increase in arterial pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity produced in rats under chloralose anesthesia after carotid and sinoaortic denervation was analyzed by quantifying the nerve activity associated with arterial pressure changes. After sinus denervation there was no change in arterial pressure (125 +/- 2.3 vs 124.6 +/- 5 mmHg, N = 6), but the renal sympathetic nerve activity (10.8 +/- 0.9 vs 8.0 +/- 1.1 bars s-1 cycle-1, N = 6) was significantly decreased. In spite of this, baroreflex control of renal sympathetic nerve activity was the same as during the control period. After sinoaortic denervation, there were simultaneous increases in arterial pressure (from 124 +/- 2.3 to 188 +/- 6 mmHg, N = 6) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (from 10.8 +/- 0.9 to 13.7 +/- 2.9 bars s-1 cycle-1) with marked attenuation of the baroreflexes. Spectral analysis of arterial blood pressure after sinus denervation showed a shift of a 1-Hz peak to 0.7 Hz, probably related to a decrease in respiratory frequency. The results suggest that after sinoaortic denervation the acute increase in arterial pressure is only due to aortic denervation.