Role of the Brain Renin Angiotensin System in Neuroinflammation

Project Description Narrative:

High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because there are not noticeable symptoms, but elevated blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, and other consequences like dementia and arterial disease. Currently, heart disease and strokes remain the no. 1 and no. 5 killers in Wisconsin: affecting 82,735 Wisconsin residents in 2016 alone. It is expected that the hypertension crisis will worsen because elevated blood pressure is one of the key features of human aging.

There are mainly two types of cells in the brain: neuron and glial cells. These cells work in the renin angiotensin system (RAS) of the brain. While RAS is one of the most studied mechanisms of blood control, there is a certain glial cell that has been indicated as a contributor to the development of hypertension and obesity that has not been studied. This specific glial cell, microglial, is the resident immune cell in the brain. Through this award, investigators strive to understand the involvement of RAS and microglia cells that contribute to hypertension. Project partners aim to discover new targets and therapeutic tools that will help combat high blood pressure in patients.