Cerebrovascular Consequences of Chronic Orthostatic Hypotension

Population‐level data indicates that people who chronically experience orthostatic hypotension have an elevated risk of cerebrovascular disease. We are unaware of experimental data to support these observations, and the mechanistic underpinnings of this population‐level association are yet to be understood. Here, we aimed to evaluate if chronic exposure to orthostatic hypotension impairs cerebrovascular function and structure. We first developed a rodent model of orthostatic hypotension that resulted in a clinically‐relevant reduction in systolic blood pressure that was accompanied by hypo‐perfusion of the brain. Next, a group of animals were chronically exposed to repetitive orthostatic hypotension for five weeks, while a control group received standard care. Cerebrovascular function and structure were then evaluated using a variety of in vivo and in vitro methods. Our results suggest that chronic exposure to orthostatic hypotension may impair the function and structure of the cerebrovasculature. More work is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the cerebrovascular consequences of chronic orthostatic hypotension. Support or Funding Information Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Clinical Neurosciences Pilot Research Fund Program, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Compute Canada This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .