Renal sympathetic nerve activity and renal responses during head-up tilt in conscious dogs.

Renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was measured in conjunction with functional responses of the kidney during head-up tilt in eight conscious female dogs. A 40 degree head-up tilt resulted in a sustained increase in RSNA by 53 +/- 10% (P less than 0.05) relative to control level. Urine flow and osmolal and sodium excretions decreased significantly to a nadir of -55 +/- 4, -42 +/- 7, and -59 +/- 10%, respectively, whereas free water clearance and creatinine clearance did not change significantly during head-up tilt. The systemic arterial pressure (at kidney level) increased significantly from 110 +/- 4 to 129 +/- 6 mmHg, and central venous pressure decreased significantly from -0.7 +/- 0.5 to -7.6 +/- 0.6 mmHg. The chronic bilateral renal denervation, which was performed 2-4 wk before the experiment, abolished both the antidiuretic and antinatriuretic responses to heald-up tilt. These results indicate that an increase in RSNA plays a significant role in the decrease in urine flow and sodium excretion induced by 40 degree head-up tilt in conscious dogs.