Antiorthostatic hypokinesia and circulation in the rat

Circulatory mechanisms that occur during exposure to head-down hypokinesia as well as during readaptation to control conditions were studied on unanesthetized unrestrained Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to hypokinesia for seven days. The heart rate was slightly elevated, and the right atrial pressure increased to 4 mm Hg, but returned to 0 mm Hg after three days of exposure. Mean arterial blood pressure decreased from 118 to 100 mm Hg during early exposure to antiorthostatic hypokinesia. Cardiac output and stroke volume of resting rats increased during early exposure to hypokinesia but decreased continuously during the next seven days. The results indicate that antiorthostatic hypokinesia induces circulatory changes similar to those seen in astronauts after several days of exposure to 0 g forces.