D. Walter Wray

About

D. Walter Wray, PhD, MSc, joined the Division of Geriatrics at the University of Utah as a Research Assistant Professor in 2008. He is a founding member of the Utah Vascular Research Laboratory, a consortium affiliated with the University of Utah and the Salt Lake City Veterans Administration Medical Center Geriatrics, Research, Education and Clinical Center. Dr. Wray maintains an active, extramurally-funded research program broadly focused on vascular and autonomic physiology, with an emphasis on aging and age-related diseases such as heart failure. His current projects include studies examining neurohumoral control of muscle blood flow at rest and during acute exercise, as well as investigations into the causes and consequences of chronic sympathoexcitation in heart failure. His research aims to understand the mechanisms underlying vascular dysfunction and autonomic regulation in aging and cardiovascular diseases, contributing valuable insights into potential therapeutic targets for these conditions.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Cardiology

Selected publications

• Sacubitril-valsartan improves conduit vessel function and functional capacity and reduces inflammation in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

  Journal of Applied Physiology · 2020 · 32 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  We observed an approximately twofold improvement in conduit vessel function (brachial artery FMD), increased functional capacity (6MWT distance), and a reduction in inflammation (TNF-α and IL-18) following 3 mo of sacubitril-valsartan therapy. These findings provide important new information concerning the physiological mechanisms by which this new drug class provokes favorable changes in HFrEF pathophysiology.

  DOI

• Cardiovascular responses to rhythmic handgrip exercise in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

  Journal of Applied Physiology · 2020 · 32 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  The current study identified, for the first time, an attenuation in exercising muscle blood flow during handgrip exercise in individuals with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) compared with overweight individuals with hypertension, two of the most common comorbidities associated with HFpEF. These decrements in exercise hyperemia cannot be attributed to disease-related changes in central hemodynamics or endothelial function, providing additional evidence for disease-related v…

  DOI

• Evidence of impaired functional sympatholysis in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

  American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology · 2023-08-11 · 18 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Data from the current study suggest that functional sympatholysis, or the ability to adequately attenuate sympathetic nervous system (SNS)-mediated vasoconstriction during exercise, is impaired in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). These observations extend the current understanding of HFpEF pathophysiology by implicating inadequate functional sympatholysis as an important contributor to reduced exercising muscle blood flow in this patient group.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Improved vascular function and functional capacity following <scp>l</scp>-citrulline administration in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a single-arm, open-label, prospective pilot study

  Journal of Applied Physiology · 2022-12-08 · 16 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The current investigation has demonstrated that l-Cit administration may improve brachial artery endothelium-dependent vasodilation, upper and lower limb microvascular function, and physical capacity in patients with HFpEF, highlighting the potential therapeutic potential of interventions targeting the l-Arg-NO signaling cascade to improve outcomes in this patient group.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• α‐Adrenergic regulation of skeletal muscle blood flow during exercise in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

  The Journal of Physiology · 2024-06-06 · 9 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Abstract Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has been characterized by lower blood flow to exercising limbs and lower peak oxygen utilization (), possibly associated with disease‐related changes in sympathetic (α‐adrenergic) signaling. Thus, in seven patients with HFpEF (70 ± 6 years, 3 female/4 male) and seven controls (CON) (66 ± 3 years, 3 female/4 male), we examined changes (%Δ) in leg blood flow (LBF, Doppler ultrasound) and leg to intra‐arterial infusion of phentolamine…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Peripheral Vasoconstriction in Heart Failure: Mechanisms & Modulatory Influences

  NIH · $1.9M · 2014–2020

• Overcoming Exercise Intolerance in Veterans with Heart Failure: The Role of NO.

  NIH · 2017–2021

• Contribution of Endothelin-1 to Exercise Intolerance in HF

  NIH · 2014–2016

Frequent coauthors

• Russell S. Richardson

  University of Utah

  543 shared

• Stephen J. Ives

  Skidmore College

  187 shared

• Melissa A. H. Witman

  University of Delaware

  173 shared

• Joel D. Trinity

  University of Utah

  134 shared

• Zachary Barrett‐O’Keefe

  Mayo Clinic in Arizona

  114 shared

• Stephen M. Ratchford

  University of Utah

  113 shared

• John McDaniel

  Kent State University

  109 shared

• Ryan S. Garten

  Virginia Commonwealth University

  107 shared

Labs

• Utah Vascular Research LaboratoryPI

Education

• Ph.D., Internal Medicine

  University of Utah

• M.S., Internal Medicine

  University of Utah

Similar researchers at University of Utah

• Anthony J. Donatoh-73
• Mark A. Supianoh-54
• Lisa A. Lesniewskih-51