Spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is a laboratory rat which is an animal model of primary hypertension, used to study cardiovascular disease. It is the most studied model of hypertension measured as number of publications.[1] The SHR strain was obtained during the 1960s by Okamoto and colleagues, who started breeding Wistar-Kyoto rats with high blood pressure.[2]
Pathophysiology
Hypertensive development begins around 5–6 weeks of age, reaching systolic pressures between 180 and 200 mmHg in the adult age phase. Starting between 40 and 50 weeks, SHR develops characteristics of cardiovascular disease, such as vascular and cardiachypertrophy.[3]
Blood pressure in SHR depends on the kidney
Hypertensive development is somehow connected to the kidney. Transplanting a kidney from SHR to a normotensive Wistar rat increases blood pressure in the recipient. Conversely, transferring a Wistar kidney to SHR normalizes blood pressure in the recipient.[4] This also happens if transplantation takes place at young age before established hypertension in the donors,[5] indicating a primary role for the kidney in the development of hypertension in SHR.[citation needed]
SHR and coping
Even though SHR is usually considered to be a purely pathological model, the strain exhibit interesting compensatory abilities. For example, kidneys transplanted from SHR to a hypertensive recipient retain better morphology than kidneys transplanted from Brown Norway,[6] demonstrating a pathological adaptation to high blood pressure.[7]
The stroke prone SHR
Stroke prone SHR (SHR-SP) is a further development of SHR that has even higher blood pressure than SHR and a strong tendency to die from stroke.[citation needed]
Despite the criticisms associated with using animals to research essentially human conditions, Sagvolden supported his Dynamic Developmental Theory of ADHD using research primarily done using Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.[10] In addition, numerous studies have been conducted in the SHR in relation to other elements of ADHD, for example, looking at the impact of different drug treatments such as atomoxetine and methylphenidate on tests of impulsivity and attention[11] and hyperactivity,[12] investigating possible neural correlates of heightened distractibility in ADHD[13][14] and assessing reward function.[15]
Reference strain
The reference strain to best illustrate the ADHD-like deficits of the SHR is the Sprague-Dawley. Although some argue that the deficits are only present because the Sprague-Dawley is naturally less active anyway.[citation needed]
^Conrad CH, Brooks WW, Hayes JA, Sen S, Robinson KG, Bing OH (January 1995). "Myocardial fibrosis and stiffness with hypertrophy and heart failure in the spontaneously hypertensive rat". Circulation. 91 (1): 161–70. doi:10.1161/01.cir.91.1.161. PMID7805198.
^Rettig R (April 1993). "Does the kidney play a role in the aetiology of primary hypertension? Evidence from renal transplantation studies in rats and humans". Journal of Human Hypertension. 7 (2): 177–80. PMID8510091.
^ abSagvolden T, Johansen EB, Aase H, Russell VA (June 2005). "A dynamic developmental theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predominantly hyperactive/impulsive and combined subtypes". The Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 28 (3): 397–419, discussion 419–68. doi:10.1017/S0140525X05000075. PMID16209748. S2CID15649900.
^Dommett EJ (September 2014). "Using the five-choice serial reaction time task to examine the effects of atomoxetine and methylphenidate in the male spontaneously hypertensive rat". Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. 124: 196–203. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2014.06.001. PMID24933335. S2CID23214561.
^Turner M, Wilding E, Cassidy E, Dommett EJ (April 2013). "Effects of atomoxetine on locomotor activity and impulsivity in the spontaneously hypertensive rat". Behavioural Brain Research. 243: 28–37. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.025. PMID23266523. S2CID28836973.
^Dommett EJ, Rostron CL (November 2011). "Abnormal air righting behaviour in the spontaneously hypertensive rat model of ADHD". Experimental Brain Research. 215 (1): 45–52. doi:10.1007/s00221-011-2869-7. PMID21931982. S2CID18981985.
^Dommett EJ, Rostron CL (February 2013). "Appetitive and consummative responding for liquid sucrose in the spontaneously hypertensive rat model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder". Behavioural Brain Research. 238: 232–42. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2012.10.025. PMID23117093. S2CID8087378.