Specific Mechanotransduction Signaling Involved in Myogenic Responses of the Cerebral Arteries

The cerebral artery is known to be particularly sensitive to mechanoreception in the form of blood pressure, blood flow, and other hemodynamic forces. Stretching and intraluminal pressurization, which might mimic an acute and/or chronic change in blood pressure, induce many different responses, including contraction, activation of various kinases and ionic channels, production of various vasoactive substances, gene expression, and phenotype changes. Here, we briefly discuss specific mechanotransduction signaling pathways involved in the myogenic responses of cerebral arteries. We emphasize that it is important to recognize mechanical forces and control them not only to improve our knowledge of cardiovascular system in physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions but also for the development of new therapeutic drugs.