Simon Mcmullan

Biography

Professor at Macquarie University

Research Interest

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main determinant of life expectancy worldwide; Australia follows the global trend. 35% of all 2005 deaths in Australia were attributable to CVD, with another 1.5 million disabled. CVD prevalence has increased by 18% in the last decade and the direct cost of CVD is estimated at $5.9 billion and rising. The most significant risk factor for all CVD is high blood pressure, but high blood pressure remains poorly treated and poorly understood. The sympathetic nervous system is a subdivision of the central nervous system contained within the midbrain, brainstem and spinal cord. The activity of sympathetic nerves maintains blood pressure and determines the flow of blood between different compartments of the body. The principal haemodynamic effects of sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) are vascular smooth muscle contraction and increased cardiac output. Both of these effects elevate blood pressure. My principle research goal is to determine what factors drive the activity of neurons in the brain that control the sympathetic nervous system. We believe that the activity of these neurons is driven by convergent inputs from many other regions of the brain; our immediate goal is to determine where such inputs arise from, and to establish which ones are important in determining the ongoing activity of these cells, and hence influence blood pressure.