Expression of MR has been demonstrated in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a hypothalamic nucleus involved in the regulation of sympathetic drive; MR-blockade has been shown to decrease NADPH oxidase activity and superoxide generation in the PVN of rats with heart failure, with a concomitant reduction of chronic excitation of neurons in the PVN and plasma NE levels [122,123]. This evidence concerns the gene NR3C2 and heart failure.