What We Do

Microneurography uses a fine tungsten microelectrode to record electrical activity from a peripheral nerve in a conscious participant.

We measure muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA): brief nerve bursts that help control blood vessels and regulate blood pressure.

Finger photoplethysmography follows the arterial-pressure waveform from beat to beat, capturing rapid changes that arm-cuff readings can miss.

Participants keep the cuffed hand supported and still. Brief pressure, numbness, or soreness can occur; the device can be adjusted or removed.

Repeated squat-to-stand manoeuvres create predictable rises and falls in blood pressure. We record beat-to-beat pressure and transcranial Doppler cerebral blood-flow velocity together to examine how the brain's circulation buffers each change.

The movement pattern and monitoring period are adapted to the study and the participant.

Participants complete 10 smooth breaths over about 100 seconds: five seconds in and five seconds out, paced by a metronome or visual guide.

Continuous beat-to-beat blood pressure and ECG show how heart rate and pressure change with breathing. The test may be performed lying down, sitting, or upright, depending on the study.

Two or three maximal grip attempts establish a reference. Participants then hold 30 to 50% of that strength using dynamometer feedback for at least two minutes or, in some studies, until fatigue while continuing to breathe normally.

In selected studies, post-exercise circulatory occlusion (PECO) follows the handgrip. A cuff briefly restricts blood flow in the exercised arm, helping separate the muscle metaboreflex response from the effects of active contraction.