Shear stress regulation and vascular remodeling in response to changes in blood flow were found to differ significantly between rat strains. A study examining the effects of chronic flow alteration in the carotid arteries of genetically hypertensive (GH) rats and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive (SHR-SP) rats identified the SHR-SP strain as poor regulators of shear stress compared to the GH strain. These findings suggest the strains have differential sensitivity to blood flow changes and differences in the mechanisms mediating vascular adaptation and remodeling. Further research using this model may help identify key genes involved in flow-mediated processes and remodeling, providing novel therapeutic targets for diseases involving vascular remodeling.