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Determination of vagal baroreflex sensitivity in normal subjects
Author(s) -
Wada Naoki,
Singer Wolfgang,
Gehrking Tonette L.,
Sletten David M.,
Schmelzer James D.,
Kihara Mikihiro,
Low Phillip A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.24191
Subject(s) - baroreflex , blood pressure , heart rate , baroreceptor , valsalva maneuver , medicine , vagal tone , cardiology , autonomic nervous system , endocrinology
ABSTRACT Introduction : The Valsalva maneuver (VM) is used widely to quantify the sensitivity of the vagal baroreflex loop (vagal baroreflex sensitivity, BRS_v), but most studies have focused on the heart rate (HR) response to blood pressure (BP) decrement (BRS_v↓), even though the subsequent response to an increment in BP after the VM (BRS_v↑) is important and different. Methods : We evaluated recordings of HR and BP in 187 normal subjects during the VM and determined both BRS_v↑, as determined by relating HR to the BP increase after phase III and BRS_v↓. Results : BRS_v↑ was related inversely to age. In addition, BRS_v↓, age, and magnitude of phase IV were independent predictors of BRS_v↑ in a multivariate model, accounting for 47% of the variance of BRS_v↑. Conclusions : The results indicate that both BRS_v↑ and BRS_v↓ become blunted with increasing age and that these indices relate to each other. Muscle Nerve 50: 535–540, 2014