Hidehiko Komine, Ph.D.

 

Institute for Human Science and Biomedical Engineering, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

 

Hidehiko Komine received the M.Sc. degree in physical therapy in 2000 from Graduate School of Health Sciences, Sapporo Medical University, and the Ph.D. degree in Health sciences in 2003 from Graduate school of Medical sciences, Hiroshima University.  After working as a postdoctoral researcher in Department of Physiology, Institute of Health sciences, Hiroshima University, he moved to National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in 2004.  Dr. Komine’s major research interests currently are in the effect of aging and exercise on cardiovascular regulation.

 

 

The interaction between central command and the arterial baroreflex

 

 

The arterial baroreflex is a negative feedback mechanism to maintain arterial blood pressure (AP) constant.  For example, when AP increases, the arterial baroreflex decreases heart rate (HR) and cardiac output, and thereby restores AP.  However, HR and AP simultaneously increase during exercise, indicating alteration in arterial baroreflex function.  We hypothesized that a feed-forward signal termed central command modifies the central property of the arterial baroreflex at the onset of exercise.

To solve this, we attempted to examine the dynamic baroreflex responses to stimulation of the aortic depressor nerve (ADN) given during voluntary exercise in conscious cats.  Next, to discriminate the influence of central command from a feedback signal from exercising skeletal muscle, we attempted to compare the baroreflex responses to ADN stimulation among spontaneously muscle contraction, evoked muscle contraction, and muscle stretch using decerebrated cats.