In this lecture, we explore how angiotensin II (AngII) affects the central nervous system (CNS), with a particular focus on its role in regulating sympathetic tone. We examine the specific CNS structures influenced by AngII, including the subfornical organ, organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT), area postrema, paraventricular nucleus (PVN), nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), and the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). The lecture details how AngII-driven signaling increases sympathetic output both directly and by blunting baroreceptor-mediated sympathetic inhibition. These mechanisms are critical to understanding how AngII contributes to hypertension and altered autonomic control.
 

• Identify CNS sites affected by AngII in sympathetic regulation.

• Explain how AngII increases sympathetic tone.

• Describe AngII’s role in hypertension via CNS effects