Journal article
Blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity are associated with trait anxiety in humans
American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, Vol.324(4), pp.H494-H503
04/01/2023
DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00026.2023
PMID: 36800506
Abstract
Chronic anxiety is prevalent and associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Prior studies that have reported a relationship between muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and anxiety have focused on participants with anxiety disorders and/or metabolic syndrome. The present study leverages a large cohort of healthy adults devoid of cardiometabolic disorders to examine the hypothesis that trait anxiety severity is positively associated with resting MSNA and blood pressure. Resting blood pressure (BP) (sphygmomanometer and finger plethysmography), MSNA (microneurography), and heart rate (HR; electrocardiogram) were collected in 88 healthy participants (52 males, 36 females, 25 ± 1 yr, 25 ± 1 kg/m
). Multiple linear regression was performed to assess the independent relationship between trait anxiety, MSNA, resting BP, and HR while controlling for age and sex. Trait anxiety was significantly correlated with systolic arterial pressure (SAP;
= 0.251,
= 0.018), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP;
= 0.291,
= 0.006), mean arterial pressure (MAP;
= 0.328,
= 0.002), MSNA burst frequency (BF;
= 0.237,
= 0.026), and MSNA burst incidence (BI;
= 0.225,
= 0.035). When controlling for the effects of age and sex, trait anxiety was independently associated with SAP (β = 0.206,
= 0.028), DAP (β = 0.317,
= 0.002), MAP (β = 0.325,
= 0.001), MSNA BF (β = 0.227,
= 0.030), and MSNA BI (β = 0.214,
= 0.038). Trait anxiety is associated with increased blood pressure and MSNA, demonstrating an important relationship between anxiety and autonomic blood pressure regulation.
Anxiety is associated with development of cardiovascular disease. Although the sympathetic nervous system is a likely mediator of this relationship, populations with chronic anxiety have shown little, if any, alteration in resting levels of directly recorded muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). The present study is the first to reveal an independent relationship between trait anxiety, resting blood pressure, and MSNA in a large cohort of healthy males and females devoid of cardiometabolic comorbidities.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity are associated with trait anxiety in humans
- Creators
- Jeremy A Bigalke - Montana State UniversityJohn J Durocher - Purdue University NorthwestIan M Greenlund - Michigan Technological UniversityManda Keller-Ross - University of MinnesotaJason R Carter - Montana State University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, Vol.324(4), pp.H494-H503
- DOI
- 10.1152/ajpheart.00026.2023
- PMID
- 36800506
- NLM abbreviation
- Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol
- ISSN
- 0363-6135
- eISSN
- 1522-1539
- Grant note
- U54 GM115371 / NIGMS NIH HHS P20 GM103474 / NIGMS NIH HHS R21 AG080503 / NIA NIH HHS R01 AA024892 / NIAAA NIH HHS TL1 TR002318 / NCATS NIH HHS K01 AG064038 / NIA NIH HHS R15 HL140596 / NHLBI NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 04/01/2023
- Academic Unit
- Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
- Record Identifier
- 9985219301902771
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