Associate Professor, School of Kinesiology

The Neurovascular Research Group studies the manner in which the sympathetic nervous system communicates with blood vessels and the heart in order to regulate blood pressure and the distribution of blood flow. We use a variety of techniques that assess sympathetic nerve traffic, blood flow patterns in arteries, vascular mechanics, and patterns of activation within the brain that are associated with autonomic cardiovascular control. Our programs of research include emphases on:

1. Neural discharge patterns and their impact on neurotransmitter release and vascular control
2. Reflex cardiovascular control in integrated systems
3. Forebrain modification of autonomic and cardiovascular regulation
4. Post-junctional cellular regulation of the vascular response (e.g., neuropeptide Y1 receptors)

In applied studies, we are interested in how physical activity and hypertension affect these physiological interactions. We are also emphasizing the role of sex hormones on the various levels of the brain-vascular connection. These programs, methods, and collaborations provide a multidisciplinary environment for a fruitful research and training experience.

Recent Publications:

Dyson, K.S., Shoemaker, J.K., Arbeille, P., Hughson, R.L. (2010). Modelflow estimates of cardiac output compared with doppler ultrasound during acute changes in vascular resistance in women. Exp Physiol. 95(4): 561-8.

Breskovic, T., Valic, Z., Lipp, A., Heusser, K., Ivancev, V., Tank, J., Dzamonja, G., Jordan, J., Shoemaker, J.K., Eterovic, C., Dujic, Z. (2010). Peripheral chemoreflex regulation of sympathetic vasomotor tone in apnea divers. Clin Auton Res. 20(2):57-63.

Salmanpour, A., Brown, L.J., Shoemaker, J.K. (2010). Detection of action potentials in multi-unit postganglionic sympathetic nerve recordings in humans: A matched wavelet approach. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing, (ICASSP). In Press.

Aizawa, K., Shoemaker, J.K., Overend, T.J., Petrella, R.J. (2009). Metabolic syndrome, endothelial function and lifestyle modification. Diab Vasc Dis Res. 6(3):181-9.

Peltonen, J.E., Paterson, D.H., Shoemaker, J.K., Delorey, D.S., Dumanoir, G.R., Petrella, R.J., & Kowalchuk, J.M. (2009). Cerebral and muscle deoxygenation, hypoxic ventilatory chemosensitivity and cerebrovascular responsiveness during incremental exercise. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 169(1):24-35.