fig4

Figure 4. Dysfunctional oscillations in blood, ECs, and SMCs: a potential path to cardiovascular disease. The vasculature has an indirect interaction to the external environment via the bloodstream which is the relay between brain-secreted signals and of curse just eating, for example. Changes in biomechanics and biochemistry od blood could impact underlying endothelial and smooth muscle clocks. Aging and other factors could even impact the ECs and SMCs directly. SMCs: smooth muscle cells; ECs: endothelial cells