Elevated Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity Contributes to Central Artery Stiffness in Young and Middle-Age/Older Adults

Abstract

Muscle sympathetic neural activity (MSNA) influences the mechanical properties (i.e., vascular smooth muscle tone and stiffness) of peripheral arteries, but it remains controversial whether MSNA contributes to stiffness of central arteries such as the aorta and carotids. We examined whether elevated MSNA (age-related) would be independently associated with greater stiffness of central [carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV)] and peripheral (carotid-brachial PWV) arteries, in addition to lower carotid compliance coefficient (CC), in healthy men and women (n=88, age:19-73 years, 52%men). Also, we examined whether acute elevations in MSNA without increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) using graded levels of lower body negative pressure (LBNP) would augment central and peripheral artery stiffness in young (YG, n=15, 60%men) and middle-age/older adults (MA/O, n=14, 43%men). Resting MSNA burst frequency (bursts•min −1) was significantly correlated with carotid-femoral PWV (R=0.44, P<0.001), carotid-brachial PWV (R=0.32, P=0.003), and carotid CC (R=0.28, P=0.01) after controlling for sex, MAP, heart rate, and waist-to-hip ratio (central obesity), but these correlations were abolished after further controlling for age (all P>0.05). In YG and MA/O adults, MSNA was elevated during LBNP (P<0.001) and produced significant increases in carotid-femoral PWV (YG:Δ+1.3±0.3 vs. MA/ O:Δ+1.0±0.3 m•s −1 , P=0.53) and carotid-brachial PWV (YG: Δ+0.7±0.3 vs. MA/O: Δ+0.7±0.5 m•s −1 , P=0.92), whereas carotid CC during LBNP was significantly reduced in YG but not MA/O (YG:Δ-0.04 ±0.01 vs. MA/O:Δ0.001±0.008 mm 2 •mmHg −1 , P<0.01). Collectively, these data demonstrate the influence of MSNA on central artery stiffness and its potential contribution to age-related increases in stiffness of both peripheral and central arteries.

Serum Catestatin Levels and Arterial Stiffness Parameters Are Increased in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Considering that endothelial dysfunction, one of the key mechanisms for increased arterial stiffness, is largely precipitated by systemic inflammation, and that CST has speculated immunomodulatory roles, it is possible that CST could have a role in the interconnection of IBD and cardiovascular diseases [3]. From another aspect, sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity might be an important contributor to pathologic arterial remodeling and this might translate to increased arterial stiffness parameters as postulated in previous clinical studies [54][55][56]. Importantly, sympathetic overactivity is present in patients with ulcerative colitis [57,58].…”

Sex differences in the association between PTSD symptoms with cardiac autonomic function and subclinical atherosclerotic risk

“…The association between sympathetic activation and aortic stiffness appears to be independent of sex (Holwerda et al, 2019) although clear sex differences between sympathetic activation and central haemodynamics exist (Hart et al, 2009). The relationship noted herein may have been partially pressure dependent given inter-relationships between LF/HF ratio, mean arterial pressure and cfPWV.…”

“…Autonomic imbalance favouring reduced parasympathetic modulation and increased sympathetic activity has been shown to acutely and chronically increase vascular stiffness (Holwerda et al, 2019).…”

Relationship between heart rate variability and carotid intima‐media thickness in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health – ELSA‐Brasil

“…vascular smooth muscle cells in the media, which may exert a direct trophic effect, potentializing injury-induced intimal lesion of central elastic arteries (Zhang et al, 2002;Holwerda et al, 2019aHolwerda et al, , 2019b. HF, high-frequency component; LF, low-frequency component; RMSSD, square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals; RR, R-R intervals; SDNN, standard deviation of NN interval.…”

“…HF, high-frequency component; LF, low-frequency component; RMSSD, square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals; RR, R-R intervals; SDNN, standard deviation of NN interval. vascular smooth muscle cells in the media, which may exert a direct trophic effect, potentializing injury-induced intimal lesion of central elastic arteries (Zhang et al, 2002;Holwerda et al, 2019aHolwerda et al, , 2019b. Sympathetic neural hyperactivation also exerts pro-atherogenic effects on the vascular function by increasing vasoconstriction in pathological conditions such as atherosclerosis.…”