TY - JOUR

T1 - Renal blood flow during exercise: understanding its measurement with Doppler ultrasound

AU - Rocha, Marcos P

AU - Mentetzides, Sandro H

AU - Drew, Rachel C

N1 - CURIS 2023 NEXS 090

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) has a critical role in continuously coordinating responses to stimuli internal and external to the human body by appropriately modulating the activity of the organs it innervates. The SNS is activated in response to various physiological stressors, including exercise, which can involve a significant increase in SNS activity. An increase in SNS activity directed towards the kidneys causes vasoconstriction of afferent arterioles within the kidneys. This sympathetically mediated renal vasoconstriction decreases renal blood flow (RBF), causing significant blood flow redistribution towards active skeletal muscles during exercise. In research studies, different modes, intensities, and durations of exercise have been used to investigate the sympathetically mediated RBF response to exercise, and several methodological approaches have been used to quantify RBF. Doppler ultrasound provides noninvasive, continuous, real-time measurements of RBF and has emerged as a valid and reliable technique to quantify RBF during exercise. This innovative methodology has been applied in studies in which the RBF response to exercise has been examined in healthy young and older adults and patient populations such as those with heart failure and peripheral arterial disease. This valuable tool has enabled researchers to produce clinically relevant findings that have furthered our understanding of the effect of SNS activation on RBF in populations of health and disease. Therefore, the focus of this narrative review is to highlight the use of Doppler ultrasound in research studies that has provided important findings furthering our knowledge of the impact of SNS activation on RBF regulation in humans.

AB - The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) has a critical role in continuously coordinating responses to stimuli internal and external to the human body by appropriately modulating the activity of the organs it innervates. The SNS is activated in response to various physiological stressors, including exercise, which can involve a significant increase in SNS activity. An increase in SNS activity directed towards the kidneys causes vasoconstriction of afferent arterioles within the kidneys. This sympathetically mediated renal vasoconstriction decreases renal blood flow (RBF), causing significant blood flow redistribution towards active skeletal muscles during exercise. In research studies, different modes, intensities, and durations of exercise have been used to investigate the sympathetically mediated RBF response to exercise, and several methodological approaches have been used to quantify RBF. Doppler ultrasound provides noninvasive, continuous, real-time measurements of RBF and has emerged as a valid and reliable technique to quantify RBF during exercise. This innovative methodology has been applied in studies in which the RBF response to exercise has been examined in healthy young and older adults and patient populations such as those with heart failure and peripheral arterial disease. This valuable tool has enabled researchers to produce clinically relevant findings that have furthered our understanding of the effect of SNS activation on RBF in populations of health and disease. Therefore, the focus of this narrative review is to highlight the use of Doppler ultrasound in research studies that has provided important findings furthering our knowledge of the impact of SNS activation on RBF regulation in humans.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Renal blood flow

KW - Renal vasoconstriction

KW - Sympathetic neural outflow to the kidneys

KW - Exercise

KW - Doppler ultrasound

U2 - 10.1152/japplphysiol.00392.2022

DO - 10.1152/japplphysiol.00392.2022

M3 - Review

C2 - 36892892

VL - 134

SP - 1004

EP - 1010

JO - Journal of Applied Physiology

JF - Journal of Applied Physiology

SN - 8750-7587

IS - 4

ER -