Patrick Mueller
Laboratory Web Site
Research Interests
The goal of the research in my laboratory is to learn more about how the brain controls the heart and blood vessels and therefore, its role in determining arterial blood pressure and organ blood flow. In particular, I am interested in how the brain adapts its control of the cardiovascular system to various physiological and pathophysiological states. Currently, we are examining how levels of physical inactivity contribute to alterations in neurohumoral control of circulation and the increase incidence of cardiovascular disease in sedentary individuals.
Area of expertise is in neural control of the circulation
Disease/Disorder
Chronic inactivity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease
Species
Primarily work with rats using in vivo experiments and ex vivo studies with brain tissue. Collaborate with faculty working in mice and in humans.
Methods
Brain microinjections, electrophysiology of neurons and nerve fibers, blood pressure and heart rate recordings; western blotting; immunohistochemistry; tract tracing; and manganese enhanced MRI.
Key Collaborators
Ida Llewellyn-Smith (Flinders Univ.), Jason Mateika (WSU), Charles Chung (WSU), Christine Rabinak (WSU)