Evaluation of baroreflex control of heart rate in renovascular hypertensive mice

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (8) ◽  
pp. 761-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica A. Peotta ◽  
Agata L. Gava ◽  
Elisardo C. Vasquez ◽  
Silvana S. Meyrelles
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Vagal Tone ◽  
Autonomic Control ◽  
Sympathetic Tone ◽  
Sham Operation ◽  
Autonomic Tone ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Reflex Tachycardia ◽  
2K1c Hypertension

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the baroreflex and the autonomic control of heart rate (HR) in renovascular hypertensive mice. Experiments were carried out in conscious C57BL/6 (n = 16) mice 28 days after a 2-kidney 1-clip procedure (2K1C mice) or a sham operation (sham mice). Baroreflex sensitivity was evaluated by measuring changes in heart rate (HR) in response to increases or decreases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) induced by phenylephrine or sodium nitroprusside. Cardiac autonomic tone was determined by use of atropine and atenolol. Basal HR and MAP were significantly higher in 2K1C mice than in sham mice. The reflex tachycardia induced by decreases in MAP was greatly attenuated in 2K1C mice compared with sham mice. Consequently, the baroreflex sensitivity was greatly decreased (2.2 ± 0.4 vs. 4.4 ± 0.3 beats·min–1·mmHg–1) in hypertensive mice compared with sham mice. The reflex bradycardia induced by increases in MAP and the baroreflex sensitivity were similar in both groups. Evaluation of autonomic control of HR showed an increased sympathetic tone and a tendency to a decreased vagal tone in 2K1C mice compared with that in sham mice. 2K1C hypertension in mice is accompanied by resting tachycardia, increased predominance of the cardiac sympathetic tone over the cardiac vagal tone, and impairment of baroreflex sensitivity.

Isoflurane Depresses Baroreflex Control of Heart Rate in Decerebrate Rats

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 1214-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong S. Lee ◽  
Don Morrow ◽  
Michael C. Andresen ◽  
Kyoung S. K. Chang
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Beta Adrenoceptor ◽  
Reflex Bradycardia ◽  
Reflex Tachycardia ◽  
Map Data ◽  
Regulatory Sites

Background Isoflurane inhibits baroreflex control of heart rate (HR) by poorly understood mechanisms. The authors examined whether suprapontine central nervous system cardiovascular regulatory sites are required for anesthetic depression. Methods The effects of isoflurane (1 and 2 rat minimum alveolar concentration [MAC]) on the baroreflex control of HR were determined in sham intact and midcollicular-transected decerebrate rats. Intravenous phenylephrine (0.2-12 microg/kg) and nitroprusside (1-60 microg/kg) were used to measure HR responses to peak changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP). Sigmoidal logistic curve fits to HR-MAP data assessed baroreflex sensitivity (HR/MAP), HR range, lower and upper HR plateau, and MAP at half the HR range (BP50). Four groups (two brain intact and two decerebrate) were studied before, during, and after isoflurane. To assess sympathetic and vagal contributions to HR baroreflex, beta-adrenoceptor (1 mg/kg atenolol) or muscarinic (0.5 mg/kg methyl atropine) antagonists were administered systemically. Results Decerebration did not alter resting MAP and HR or baroreflex parameters. Isoflurane depressed baroreflex slope and HR range in brain-intact and decerebrate rats. In both groups, 1 MAC reduced HR range by depressing peak reflex tachycardia. Maximal reflex bradycardia during increases in blood pressure was relatively preserved. Atenolol during 1 MAC did not alter maximum reflex tachycardia. In contrast, atropine during 1 MAC fully blocked reflex bradycardia. Therefore, 1 MAC predominantly depresses sympathetic components of HR baroreflex. Isoflurane at 2 MAC depressed both HR plateaus and decreased BP50 in both groups. Conclusions Isoflurane depresses HR baroreflex control by actions that do not require suprapontine central nervous system sites. Isoflurane actions seem to inhibit HR baroreflex primarily by the sympathetic nervous system.

Baroreflex modulation by angiotensins at the rat rostral and caudal ventrolateral medulla

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (4) ◽  
pp. R1027-R1034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andréia C. Alzamora ◽  
Robson A. S. Santos ◽  
Maria J. Campagnole-Santos
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Opposite Effect ◽  
Ventrolateral Medulla ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Differential Modulation ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Caudal Ventrolateral Medulla ◽  
Angiotensin Peptides ◽  
Reflex Bradycardia

We determined the effect of microinjection of ANG-(1–7) and ANG II into two key regions of the medulla that control the circulation [rostral and caudal ventrolateral medulla (RVLM and CVLM, respectively)] on baroreflex control of heart rate (HR) in anesthetized rats. Reflex bradycardia and tachycardia were induced by increases and decreases in mean arterial pressure produced by intravenous phenylephrine and sodium nitroprusside, respectively. The pressor effects of ANG-(1–7) and ANG II (25 pmol) after RVLM microinjection (11 ± 0.8 and 10 ± 2 mmHg, respectively) were not accompanied by consistent changes in HR. In addition, RVLM microinjection of these angiotensin peptides did not alter the bradycardic or tachycardic component of the baroreflex. CVLM microinjections of ANG-(1–7) and ANG II produced hypotension (−11 ± 1.5 and −11 ± 1.9 mmHg, respectively) that was similarly not accompanied by significant changes in HR. However, CVLM microinjections of angiotensins induced differential changes in the baroreflex control of HR. ANG-(1–7) attenuated the baroreflex bradycardia (0.26 ± 0.06 ms/mmHg vs. 0.42 ± 0.08 ms/mmHg before treatment) and facilitated the baroreflex tachycardia (0.86 ± 0.19 ms/mmHg vs. 0.42 ± 0.10 ms/mmHg before treatment); ANG II produced the opposite effect, attenuating baroreflex tachycardia (0.09 ± 0.06 ms/mmHg vs. 0.31 ± 0.07 ms/mmHg before treatment) and facilitating the baroreflex bradycardia (0.67 ± 0.16 ms/mmHg vs. 0.41 ± 0.05 ms/mmHg before treatment). The modulatory effect of ANG II and ANG-(1–7) on baroreflex sensitivity was completely abolished by peripheral administration of methylatropine. These results suggest that ANG II and ANG-(1–7) at the CVLM produce a differential modulation of the baroreflex control of HR, probably through distinct effects on the parasympathetic drive to the heart.

Alterations in Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variabililty in Transgenic Rats with Low Brain Angiotensinogen

Hypertension ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 36 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 727-727
Author(s):  
Ovidiu Baltatu ◽  
Ben J Janssen ◽  
Ralph Plehm ◽  
Detlev Ganten ◽  
Michael Bader
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Circadian Variation ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Transgenic Rats ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Sd Rats ◽  
The Brain

P191 The brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) system may play a functional role in the long-term and short-term control of blood pressure (BPV) and heart rate variability (HRV). To study this we recorded in transgenic rats TGR(ASrAOGEN) with low brain angiotensinogen levels the 24-h variation of BP and HR during basal and hypertensive conditions, induced by a low-dose s.c. infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II, 100 ng/kg/min) for 7 days. Cardiovascular parameters were monitored by telemetry. Short-term BPV and HRV were evaluated by spectral analysis and as a measure of baroreflex sensitivity the transfer gain between the pressure and heart rate variations was calculated. During the Ang II infusion, in SD but not TGR(ASrAOGEN) rats, the 24-h rhythm of BP was inverted (5.8 ± 2 vs. -0.4 ± 1.8 mm Hg/group of day-night differences of BP, p< 0.05, respectively). In contrast, in both the SD and TGR(ASrAOGEN) rats, the 24-h HR rhythms remained unaltered and paralleled those of locomotor activity. The increase of systolic BP was significantly reduced in TGR(ASrAOGEN) in comparison to SD rats as previously described, while the HR was not altered in TGR(ASrAOGEN) nor in SD rats. The spectral index of baroreflex sensitivity (FFT gain between 0.3-0.6 Hz) was significantly higher in TGR(ASrAOGEN) than SD rats during control (0.71 ± 0.1 vs. 0.35 ± 0.06, p<0.05), but not during Ang II infusion (0.6 ± 0.07 vs. 0.4 ± 0.1, p>0.05). These results demonstrate that the brain RAS plays an important role in mediating the effects of Ang II on the circadian variation of BP. Furthermore these data are consistent with the view that the brain RAS modulates baroreflex control of HR in rats, with AII having an inhibitory role.

Comparison of phenylephrine bolus and infusion methods in baroreflex measurements

1990 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 962-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Sullebarger ◽  
C. S. Liang ◽  
P. D. Woolf ◽  
A. E. Willick ◽  
J. F. Richeson
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Arterial Pressure ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Heart Rate Response ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Plasma Catecholamines ◽  
Systolic Arterial Pressure ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Vagus Nerves ◽  
Baroreflex Control

Phenylephrine (PE) bolus and infusion methods have both been used to measure baroreflex sensitivity in humans. To determine whether the two methods produce the same values of baroreceptor sensitivity, we administered intravenous PE by both bolus injection and graded infusion methods to 17 normal subjects. Baroreflex sensitivity was determined from the slope of the linear relationship between the cardiac cycle length (R-R interval) and systolic arterial pressure. Both methods produced similar peak increases in arterial pressure and reproducible results of baroreflex sensitivity in the same subjects, but baroreflex slopes measured by the infusion method (9.9 +/- 0.7 ms/mmHg) were significantly lower than those measured by the bolus method (22.5 +/- 1.8 ms/mmHg, P less than 0.0001). Pretreatment with atropine abolished the heart rate response to PE given by both methods, whereas plasma catecholamines were affected by neither method of PE administration. Naloxone pretreatment exaggerated the pressor response to PE and increased plasma beta-endorphin response to PE infusion but had no effect on baroreflex sensitivity. Thus our results indicate that 1) activation of the baroreflex by the PE bolus and infusion methods, although reproducible, is not equivalent, 2) baroreflex-induced heart rate response to a gradual increase in pressure is less than that seen with a rapid rise, 3) in both methods, heart rate response is mediated by the vagus nerves, and 4) neither the sympathetic nervous system nor the endogenous opiate system has a significant role in mediating the baroreflex control of heart rate to a hypertensive stimulus in normal subjects.

Effects of NO on baroreflex control of heart rate and renal nerve activity in conscious rabbits

1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (6) ◽  
pp. R1361-R1370 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Liu ◽  
H. Murakami ◽  
I. H. Zucker
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Sympathetic Nerve ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Sympathetic Nerve Activity ◽  
Control Level ◽  
Relative Role ◽  
Nerve Activity ◽  
Renal Nerve ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Synthase Inhibitor

Recent data suggest that nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in the modulation of sympathetic nerve activity and baroreflex sensitivity. Most of these studies have been carried out in anesthetized preparations, and little if any comparison has been made on the relative role of NO on the baroreflex control of heart rate and sympathetic nerve activity. In the present studies, the effect of the NO synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) on the baroreflex control of heart rate (HR) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) were investigated in conscious, instrumented rabbits. Intravenous bolus injections of 13 mg/kg of L-NNA decreased baseline HR (from 205.0 +/- 6.0 to 145.5 +/- 8.2 beats/min; P < 0.05) without significant changes in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and RSNA. L-NNA significantly reduced the lower plateau of the HR-MAP curves and increased the sensitivities of baroreflex control of HR and RSNA. L-Arginine (600 mg/kg i.v.) but not D-arginine reversed the above effects. The effects of L-NNA on baseline HR were not completely blocked by metoprolol (2 mg/kg) or by atropine (0.2 mg/kg). After pretreatment with metoprolol, baroreflex sensitivity was reduced and L-NNA increased baroreflex sensitivity back to the control level. After pretreatment with atropine, L-NNA still reduced the lower plateau but did not significantly affect baroreflex sensitivity. L-NNA increased the HR responses but not the RSNA response to electrical stimulation of the aortic nerve in chloralose-anesthetized, sinoaortic-denervated (SAD) rabbits. L-NNA had no effect on the HR response to right vagal stimulation. In both conscious intact and SAD rabbits, L-NNA did not increase baseline RSNA. These results suggest that endogenous NO decreases baroreflex control of HR and RSNA. Both sympathetic and parasympathetic components play a role in the effects of NO on the baroreflex control of HR. The effects of NO in the central nervous system play a more important role in the baroreflex control of HR than of RSNA.

Estrogen enhances baroreflex control of heart rate in conscious ovariectomized rats

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud M El-Mas ◽  
Abdel A Abdel-Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Ovariectomized Rats ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Baroreflex Function ◽  
Vehicle Treatment

In previous studies, we have shown that the baroreflex control of heart rate is significantly attenuated in females compared with age-matched males. This study investigated the role of estrogen in the modulation of baroreflex function in conscious unrestrained rats. Baroreflex-mediated decreases in heart rate in response to increments in blood pressure evoked by phenylephrine were evaluated in conscious freely moving male and female Sprague-Dawley rats as well as in ovariectomized rats. The effect of a 2-day 17 beta -estradiol (50 µg ·kg-1 ·day-1, s.c.) or vehicle treatment on baroreflex sensitivity was investigated in ovariectomized rats. Intravenous bolus doses of phenylephrine (1-16 µg/kg) elicited dose-dependent pressor and bradycardic responses in all groups of rats. Regression analysis of the baroreflex curves relating increments in blood pressure to the associated heart rate responses revealed a significantly (p < 0.05) smaller baroreflex sensitivity in female compared with male rats (-1.22 ± 0.07 and -1.85 ± 0.15 beats ·min-1 ·mmHg-1, respectively), suggesting an attenuated baroreflex function in females. In age-matched ovariectomized rats, baroreflex sensitivity showed further reduction (-0.93 ± 0.02 beats ·min-1 ·mmHg-1). Treatment of ovariectomized rats with 17 beta -estradiol significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the baroreflex sensitivity (-1.41 ± 0.16 beats ·min-1 ·mmHg-1) to a level that was slightly higher than that of sham-operated female rats. Furthermore, baroreflex sensitivity of ovariectomized estradiol-treated rats was not significantly different from that of age-matched male rats. The vehicle, on the other hand, had no effect on baroreflex sensitivity of ovariectomized rats. These data support our earlier findings that sexual dimorphism exists in baroreflex control of heart rate. More importantly, the present study provides experimental evidence that suggests a facilitatory role for estrogen in the modulation of baroreflex function.Key words: rat, gender, baroreflex sensitivity, 17 beta -estradiol, ovariectomy.

Differential Effects of Angiotensin II and Angiotensin-(1-7) at the Nucleus Tractus Solitarii of Transgenic Rats with Low Brain Angiotensinogen

Hypertension ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 36 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 700-700
Author(s):  
Aurea S Couto ◽  
Ovidiu Baltatu ◽  
Robson A S Santos ◽  
Detlev Ganten ◽  
Michael Bader ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Renin Angiotensin System ◽  
Nucleus Tractus Solitarii ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Transgenic Rats ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Sd Rats ◽  
The Brain

P42 The potential importance of permanent alteration of the brain renin-angiotensin system on angiotensin (Ang) II and Ang-(1-7) effects at the level of the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) was investigated in transgenic rats with a deficit in brain angiotensinogen production TGR(ASrAOGEN) (TGR). Ang II (10 pmol), Ang-(1-7) (10 pmol) or NaCl (0.9%/ 50 nl) were microinjected into the NTS of urethane-anesthetized TGR (n=28) and Sprague-Dawley (SD, n=22) rats. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were measured via a femoral artery catheter and the baroreflex control of heart rate was evaluated after increases in MAP induced by phenylephrine (baroreflex bradycardia). Ang II microinjections into the NTS of the TGR induced a higher decrease in MAP and HR (-37 ± 5 mmHg and -69 ± 12.5 beats/min, respectively) in comparison with SD rats (-18 ± 1 mmHg and -51 ± 11 beats/min, respectively). In contrast, changes after Ang-(1-7) microinjections into the NTS of TGR (-6 ± 1 mmHg and -13 ± 5 beats/min) were significantly smaller than that induced in SD (-11 ± 2 mmHg and -24 ± 8 beats/min.). The baroreflex sensitivity was accentuated in TGR in comparison to SD rats (0.69 ± 0.06 vs. 0.44 ± 0.03 ms/ mmHg). Ang II microinjection into the NTS produced similar attenuation in the baroreflex bradycardia in both SD (0.28 ± 0.07 vs. 0.5 ± 0.07 ms/ mmHg, before injection) and TGR (0.44 ± 0.1 vs. 0.82 ± 0.1ms/ mmHg, before injection). Ang-(1-7) microinjection elicited a facilitation of the baroreflex bradycardia in SD (0.62 ± 0.1 vs. 0.4 ± 0.03 ms/ mmHg, before injection). However in TGR, baroreflex bradycardia after Ang-(1-7) was not different from saline microinjection. These results indicate that a permanent inhibition of angiotensinogen synthesis in the brain can lead to a functional up-regulation of Ang II receptors. However, the putative Ang-(1-7) receptors seem to be desensitized in the NTS of these transgenic rats. The alterated baroreflex sensitivity, both before and after Ang microinjection, indicates the functionally relevant decrease in brain Ang in TGR and supports differential regulatory mechanisms for the effects of the two Ang peptides.

Acute effects of ethanol on baroreceptor reflex control of heart rate and on pressor and depressor responsiveness in rats

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 834-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
A-R. A. Abdel-Rahman ◽  
Roy Russ ◽  
J. A. Strickland ◽  
W. R. Wooles
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Conscious Rats ◽  
Upward Shift ◽  
The Right

In rats anesthetized with α-chloralose, doses of 0.1, 0.5, and 1 g/kg of ethanol produced an upward shift of baroreflex curves constructed by plotting the heart rate response against mean arterial pressure following evoked rises in mean arterial pressures by phenylephrine or angiotensin II. Whereas the upward shift of baroreceptor curves may be related, at least in part, to a higher base-line heart rate after ethanol, the data showed that the 1 g/kg dose of ethanol significantly depressed baroreflex sensitivity, suggesting that higher doses of ethanol impair baroreflex-mediated bradycardia. The phenylephrine, but not the angiotensin II or the nitroprusside, dose–response curves were shifted to the right after ethanol, indicating a decreased pressor responsiveness and suggesting that ethanol may have α-adrenergic blocking activity. This effect was also obtained in conscious rats. That this effect was not influenced by changes in baroreflex sensitivity was supported by the finding that a similar shift of the phenylephrine pressor–response curve was obtained in bilaterally vagotomized and hexamethonium-treated rats. Whether this effect of ethanol on baroreflex control of heart rate was influenced by anesthesia was investigated in conscious rats; the 1 g/kg dose of ethanol that produced the most significant decrease in baroreflex sensitivity was used in these experiments. Ethanol was still able to significantly inhibit baroreflex sensitivity in conscious rats, but the upward shift of the baroreflex curve and the elevated base-line heart rate no longer occurred. On the other hand, none of the three doses of ethanol had any significant effect on baroreflex-mediated tachycardia (in response to nitroprusside-evoked hypotension). The data suggest that high doses of ethanol selectively inhibit baroreflex-mediated bradycardia and that ethanol has an α-blocking-like activity in conscious and anesthetized rats.

scholarly journals Additive effects of heating and exercise on baroreflex control of heart rate in healthy males

2017 ◽  
Vol 123 (6) ◽  
pp. 1555-1562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago Peçanha ◽  
Cláudia L. M. Forjaz ◽  
David. A. Low
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Additive Effects ◽  
Passive Heating ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Rr Intervals ◽  
Body Heat

This study assessed the additive effects of passive heating and exercise on cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (cBRS) and heart rate variability (HRV). Twelve healthy young men (25 ± 1 yr, 23.8 ± 0.5 kg/m2) randomly underwent two experimental sessions: heat stress (HS; whole body heat stress using a tube-lined suit to increase core temperature by ~1°C) and normothermia (NT). Each session was composed of a preintervention rest (REST1); HS or NT interventions; postintervention rest (REST2); and 14 min of cycling exercise [7 min at 40%HRreserve (EX1) and 7 min at 60%HRreserve (EX2)]. Heart rate and finger blood pressure were continuously recorded. cBRS was assessed using the sequence (cBRSSEQ) and transfer function (cBRSTF) methods. HRV was assessed using the indexes standard deviation of RR intervals (SDNN) and root mean square of successive RR intervals (RMSSD). cBRS and HRV were not different between sessions during EX1 and EX2 (i.e., matched heart rate conditions: EX1 = 116 ± 3 vs. 114 ± 3 and EX2 = 143 ± 4 vs. 142 ± 3 beats/min but different workloads: EX1 = 50 ± 9 vs. 114 ± 8 and EX2 = 106 ± 10 vs. 165 ± 8 W; for HS and NT, respectively; P < 0.01). However, when comparing EX1 of NT with EX2 of HS (i.e., matched workload conditions but with different heart rates), cBRS and HRV were significantly reduced in HS (cBRSSEQ = 1.6 ± 0.3 vs. 0.6 ± 0.1 ms/mmHg, P < 0.01; SDNN = 2.3 ± 0.1 vs. 1.3 ± 0.2 ms, P < 0.01). In conclusion, in conditions matched by HR, the addition of heat stress to exercise does not affect cBRS and HRV. Alternatively, in workload-matched conditions, the addition of heat to exercise results in reduced cBRS and HRV compared with exercise in normothermia. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The present study assessed cardiac baroreflex sensitivity during the combination of heat and exercise stresses. This is the first study to show that prior whole body passive heating reduces cardiac baroreflex sensitivity and autonomic modulation of heart rate during exercise. These findings contribute to the better understanding of the role of thermoregulation on cardiovascular regulation during exercise.

Effects of aging on 24-h dynamic baroreceptor control of heart rate in ambulant subjects

1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (4) ◽  
pp. H1606-H1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Parati ◽  
A. Frattola ◽  
M. Di Rienzo ◽  
P. Castiglioni ◽  
A. Pedotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Systolic Blood Pressure ◽  
Baroreflex Sensitivity ◽  
Regression Line ◽  
Domain Analysis ◽  
Pulse Interval ◽  
Alpha Coefficient ◽  
Baroreflex Control ◽  
Effects Of Aging

The effects of aging on the dynamic modulation of baroreflex sensitivity over 24 h was assessed in eight elderly (mean age +/- SD, 63.9 +/- 3.2 yr) and in eight young (23.9 +/- 6.1 yr) mild or moderate essential hypertensive patients, who were subject to a 24-h intra-arterial (Oxford technique) blood pressure recording in ambulatory conditions. The sensitivity of baroreflex control of the heart rate was dynamically assessed by quantifying 1) the slope of the regression line between pulse interval (the reciprocal of heart rate) and systolic blood pressure changes over spontaneously occurring hypertension-bradycardia or hypotension-tachycardia sequences (time domain analysis) and 2) the ratio between spectral-powers of pulse interval and systolic blood pressure around 0.1 Hz (alpha-coefficient: frequency domain analysis). The 24-h average sequence slope was lower in old than in young individuals (4.4 +/- 0.5 vs. 9.9 +/- 1.3 and 4.8 +/- 0.7 vs. 8.4 +/- 1.4 ms/mmHg for hypertension-bradycardia and hypotension-tachycardia sequences, respectively; P < 0.05 for both). Similar results were obtained by using the alpha-coefficient approach. The marked nighttime increase in baroreflex sensitivity observed in young individuals was much less evident in the elderly. Thus 24-h baroreflex sensitivity is markedly impaired by aging. The impairment becomes manifest also as an inability to increase baroreflex sensitivity at night.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document