The central sympathetic nervous system in hypertension.

The sympathetic nervous system participates in the development and progression of the essential hypertensive state, as shown by increased circulating plasma levels of the adrenergic neurotransmitter norepinephrine, elevated norepinephrine spillover rate, and augmented sympathetic nerve traffic discharge detected in the high blood pressure state. In addition, the sympathetic overdrive participates in the development of the metabolic disarray as well as target organ damage frequently detected in this condition. The above mentioned sympathetic abnormalities explain why adrenergic overdrive represents an important therapeutic target in the treatment of hypertension.