Office: 210-567-4195
Email: mifflin@uthscsa.edu

The brain plays a critical role in maintaining normal blood pressure. During the past few years it has become clear that neurons in the brain that regulate blood pressure exhibit a surprising degree of plasticity in response to chronic changes in physiological state. The physiology and pharmacology of synaptic integration within the central nervous system are altered in hypertension and chronic hypoxic states. The goal of my laboratory is to characterize the plasticity of central neurons that regulate blood pressure in pathological states. We are using a multi-disciplinary approach based upon in vivo (intracellular and extracellular) and in vitro (whole cell patch clamp) electrophysiological techniques. Immunohistochemical techniques are used to determine the relationships between functionally identified neurons and putative transmitters or modulators. Molecular biological techniques are used to phenotype neurons and examine alterations in the expression of ligand-gated and voltage dependent ion channels in hypertensive and hypoxic rats. These studies will advance our understanding of blood pressure regulation under normal conditons and provide insights into the etiology of pathophysiological states where the brain does not regulate blood pressure normally (e.g. hypertension, heart failure).

Selected Publications

Zhang, W. and S.W. Mifflin. Chronic hypertension enhances post-synaptic effect of baclofen in the NTS. Hypertension, 49:1-5, 2007.

Zhang, W. and S.W. Mifflin. Modulation of synaptic transmission to second-order peripheral chemoreceptor neurons in caudal NTS by alpha1-adrenoreceptors. J of Pharm. and Exptl. Therapeutics, 320:670-677, 2007.

Cunningham, J.T., M. Herrera-Rosales, M.A. Martinez and S.W. Mifflin. Identification of active central nervous system sites in renal wrap hypertensive rats. Hypertension, 49:653-659, 2007.

de Paula, P.M., Tolstykh, G. and S.W. Mifflin. Chronic intermittent hypoxia alters NMDA and AMPA-evoked currents in NTS neurons receiving carotid body chemoreceptor inputs. Am. J. Physiol. (Reg. Int. Comp.), 292:2259-2265, 2007.

Tolstykh, G., P.M. de Paula and S.W. Mifflin. Voltage-dependent calcium currents are enhanced in NTS neurons isolated from renal wrap hypertensive rats. Hypertension, 49:1163-1169, 2007.

Mifflin, S.W. New insights into the electrophysiology of brainstem circuits controlling blood pressure. Current Hypertension Reports, 9:236-241, 2007.