The Conducted Vasomotor Response and the Principles of Electrical Communication in Resistance Arteries.

Biological tissues are fed by arterial networks whose task is to set blood flow delivery in accordance with energetic demand. Coordinating vasomotor activity among hundreds of neighboring segments is an essential process, one dependent upon electrical information spreading among smooth muscle and endothelial cells. The "Conducted Vasomotor Response" is a functional expression of electrical spread and it's this process that lies at the heart of this critical review. Written in a narrative format, this review will first highlight historical manuscripts and then characterize the conducted response across a range of preparations. Trends will be highlighted and used to guide subsequent sections, focused on cellular foundations, biophysical underpinnings, and regulation in health and disease. Key information has been tabulated in table format; illustrative figures reinforce grounding concepts and reveal a framework within which theoretical and experimental work can be rationalized. This summative review highlights that despite thirty years of concerted experimentation, key aspects of the conducted response remain ill-defined. Of note is the need to rationalize the regulation and deterioration of conduction in pathobiological settings. New quantitative tools, along with transgenic technology, will be discussed as a means of propelling this investigative field forward.