Metabolic Syndrome and Cerebral Vascular Function

Riddle me this: if you were going to be stuck on an island with only one drug, which drug offers “the best bang for your buck” in controlling metabolic syndrome due to obesity? That’s just one question we tackle in this podcast about the translational work by Brooks et al on how metabolic syndrome in obesity affects the cerebral microvasculature, published as part of our Call for Papers on Small Vessels – Big Problems. Guest Editor Akos Koller (New York Medical College and University of Physical Education, Budapest, Hungary) interviews lead author Paul Chantler (West Virginia University) and content expert Julian Lombard (Medical College of Wisconsin) about the adaptions in cerebral circulation during the progression of metabolic syndrome using an obese Zucker rat model of human disease. How do pharmacological interventions aimed at treating major risk factors such as blood pressure and glucose levels affect cerebrovascular changes in metabolic syndrome? With metabolic syndrome affecting nearly 57 million adults in the U.S., you can’t afford not to listen to this engaging, insightful podcast.

Steven D. Brooks, Evan DeVallance, Alexandre C. d'Audiffret, Stephanie J. Frisbee, Lawrence E. Tabone, Carl D. Shrader, Jefferson C. Frisbee, Paul D. Chantler Metabolic syndrome impairs reactivity and wall mechanics of cerebral resistance arteries in obese Zucker rats Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published December 1, 2015, DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00691.2015.