Gary L. Baumbach, MD
Research Laboratory
Contact Information
Phone: 319-335-8252
1045 Medical Laboratories
Structure and Function of Cerebral Blood Vessels
The long-term objective of studies in our laboratory is to clarify
the relationship between morphology and function of blood vessels in the
brain, and to understand the influence of structural changes produced
by chronic hypertension and aging on function of the vessel wall. To
achieve these goals, in vivo and in vitro methods are used to analyze
cerebral vascular mechanics, and morphometric methods to quantitate
components of the vessel wall. Hypotheses that are currently being
tested include: 1) that contraction of smooth muscle in cerebral
arterioles is augmented in early hypertension, prior to the development
of vascular hypertrophy, and contraction may be affected by structural
alterations that develop during prolonged hypertension, 2) that effects
of chronic hypertension on smooth muscle contraction may be different
with respect to vessel size and brain region, and 3) that effects of
aging on structure and function of blood vessels in the brain may be
similar, in some respects, to effects of chronic hypertension.
In addition to these interests, our laboratory has recently
undertaken a new direction with the aim of extending studies of vascular
mechanics and structure to the cellular level. Initial efforts have
focused on the use of confocal microscopy and computer-assisted image
analysis to examine effects of mechanical deformation on focal and near
contacts (focal adhesion sites) in vascular smooth muscle in tissue
culture. Focal contacts provide anchorage sites essential for the
maintenance of tension within the cell, and are involved in regulation
of cell morphology, proliferation, migration, differentiation and
responsiveness. It is anticipated that these studies will lead to
greater understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that are involved in
structural changes in the vessel wall as related to increases in
mechanical stress that accompany chronic hypertension and aging.
Research Staff
Tom Gerhold
thomas-gerhold@uiowa.edu
Research Associate
1045 ML
335-8252