Sodium Is Detected by the OVLT to Regulate Sympathetic Tone

Hypernatremia is known to elicit a rise in sympathetic tone and blood pressure. In this issue of Neuron, Nomura et al. (2018) Nomura K. Hiyama T.Y. Sakuta H. Matsuda T. Lin C.H. Kobayashi K. Kuwaki T. Takahashi K. Matsui S. Noda M. [Na+] increases in body fluid sensed by central Nax induce sympathetically mediated blood pressure elevations via H+-dependent activation of ASIC1A. Neuron. 2018; 101 ( Published online November 29, 2018) 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.11.017 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar now show that this is mediated via the organum vasculosum laminae terminalis (OVLT). Na + activates OVLT neurons via a paracrine mechanism involving sodium channel Na x expressed by astrocytes and the ependyma