Role of drugs modifying sympathetic nervous system activity in the treatment of hypertension.

The major sites of action in the nervous system of the various types of drug used in the treatment of hypertension were considered, together with some of their advantages and disadvantages. Consideration was given to the way in which the circulation may be controlled, particularly in hypertension, and the difficulties of using various drugs to analyse controlling mechanisms. The assessment of sympathetic activity and over-activity was also considered, since this remains an area of great difficulty, both in man and in other animals.