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The effects of gender on autonomic and cardiovascular responses during psychological and physiological stressors
Author(s) -
De Meersman Ronald E,
Duncan Gillian S,
Zion Adrienne S,
Gates Gregory J,
Bartels Matthew N,
Mckinley Paula S,
Sloan Richard P
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.5.a1429
It is hypothesized that autonomic responses differ between man and women in ways that may directly affect blood pressure (BP) responses. Therefore, our aims were to compare the patterning of autonomic and BP responses to psychologic and physiologic stressors between genders. Methods 53 female and 53 male subjects were compared. Respiration, heart rate (HR), brachial BP, and beat‐to‐beat finger blood pressures were recorded during 10 mins of supine rest, an arithmetic and Stroop stressor and during a transition from supine to 70¢ª head‐up tilt. Spectral analysis of HR and SBP was used to derive parasympathetic (Ln HFRR) and sympathetic vasomotor modulation, respectively. A one way ANOVA with repeated measures across stressors with gender as the between‐subjects factor was performed, with P < 0.05. No significant gender differences were seen during the psychological stressor for any of the autonomic and cardiovascular variables. However, during the physiologic stressor significant differences were seen between the genders in MAP (¡Î 93.7 ¡¾ 1.4 mmHg versus ¡Ï 82.6 ¡¾ 1.4 p<.005), and Ln HFRR ((¡Î 5.5 ¡¾ .157 msec2 versus ¡Ï 5.4 ¡¾ .157 msec2 p<.05). The findings indicated an increased parasympathetic tone at rest and a lesser BP rise during the physiologic stressor in females factors believed to be cardioprotective. VIDDA foundation