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Sympathetic neurovascular regulation during pregnancy: A longitudinal case series study
Author(s) -
Reyes Laura M.,
Usselman Charlotte W.,
Skow Rachel J.,
Charkoudian Nisha,
Staab Jeffery S.,
Davenport Margie H.,
Steinback Craig D.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
experimental physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1469-445X
pISSN - 0958-0670
DOI - 10.1113/ep086771
Subject(s) - medicine , neurovascular bundle , pregnancy , endocrinology , biology , anatomy , genetics
New FindingsWhat is the main observation in this case? The main observation of this case report is that during pregnancy there is a progressive sympatho‐excitation in basal conditions and under stress, which is offset by a concurrent reduction in neurovascular transduction. Strong correlations between autonomic nervous system activity and sex hormones (oestrogen and progesterone), vasopressin and aldosterone were found.What insights does it reveal? Our findings suggest that hormonal surges might be associated with central sympathetic activation.Abstract The adaptations of sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) during pregnancy remain poorly understood. An increase in blood volume, cardiac output and SNA, with a concomitant drop in total peripheral resistance (TPR), suggest that during pregnancy there is a reduced transduction of SNA into TPR. Most of these findings have originated from cross‐sectional studies; thus, we conducted a longitudinal assessment of SNA and TPR in two participants. Measurements were made before pregnancy (early follicular phase), on four occasions during pregnancy and at 2 months postpartum. Mean arterial pressure and cardiac output were used to calculate TPR. The SNA was measured using microneurography (peroneal nerve). There was a gestation‐dependent increase in SNA burst frequency ( r 2 = 0.96, P = 0.009). Neurovascular transduction, however, decreased by 53% in both women. Sympathetic hyperactivity was reversed postpartum, whereas neurovascular transduction remained lower. These longitudinal data highlight the progressive sympatho‐excitation of pregnancy, which is offset by a concurrent reduction in neurovascular transduction.