Neural control of the circulation: how sex and age differences interact in humans
Michael J Joyner, Jill N Barnes, Emma C Hart, B Gunnar Wallin, Nisha Charkoudian, Michael J Joyner, Jill N Barnes, Emma C Hart, B Gunnar Wallin, Nisha Charkoudian
Abstract
The autonomic nervous system is a key regulator of the cardiovascular system. In this review, we focus on how sex and aging influence autonomic regulation of blood pressure in humans in an effort to understand general issues related to the cardiovascular system as a whole. Younger women generally have lower blood pressure and sympathetic activity than younger men. However, both sexes show marked interindividual variability across age groups with significant overlap seen. Additionally, while men across the lifespan show a clear relationship between markers of whole body sympathetic activity and vascular resistance, such a relationship is not seen in young women. In this context, the ability of the sympathetic nerves to evoke vasoconstriction is lower in young women likely as a result of concurrent β2-mediated vasodilation that offsets α-adrenergic vasoconstriction. These differences reflect both central sympatho-inhibitory effects of estrogen and also its influence on peripheral vasodilation at the level of the vascular smooth muscle and endothelium. By contrast postmenopausal women show a clear relationship between markers of whole body sympathetic traffic and vascular resistance, and sympathetic activity rises progressively in both sexes with aging. These major findings in humans are discussed in the context of differences in population-based trends in blood pressure and orthostatic intolerance. The many areas where there is little sex-specific data on how the autonomic nervous system participates in the regulation of the human cardiovascular system are highlighted.
© 2015 American Physiological Society.
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The relationship between muscle sympathetic…
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The relationship between muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and mean arterial blood pressure…
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Mean arterial pressure is determined…
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Mean arterial pressure is determined by total peripheral resistance (TPR) and cardiac output…
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The relationship between muscle sympathetic…
Figure 10
The relationship between muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and total peripheral resistance (TPR)…
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Sex hormones vary throughout the…
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Sex hormones vary throughout the ovarian cycle in young women. The change between…
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Sex hormones and specifically estrogen…
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Sex hormones and specifically estrogen has been shown to affect neural outflow. Administration…
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The left panel shows that…
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The left panel shows that the rise in MSNA is similar in young…
Figure 14
Effects of brachial artery administration…
Figure 14
Effects of brachial artery administration of norepinephrine (noradrenaline, NA) on forearm vascular conductance…
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The is no association between…
Figure 15
The is no association between muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and total peripheral…
Figure 16
Augmentation index (AIx%) is a…
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Augmentation index (AIx%) is a pulse wave characteristic that is affected by increases…
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An example of age differences…
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An example of age differences in acute sympatho-excitatory maneuvers. In this study, isometric…
Figure 18
Summary figure illustrating vascular transduction…
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Summary figure illustrating vascular transduction and how this influences sex differences in blood…
Figure 19
In women, both muscle sympathetic…
Figure 19
In women, both muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and plasma norepinephrine (NE) is…
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- Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Review
- Aging / physiology*
- Autonomic Nervous System / physiology*
- Blood Pressure / physiology*
- Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena
- Female
- Gonadal Steroid Hormones / physiology
- Humans
- Male
- Sex Characteristics
- Gonadal Steroid Hormones
- Full Text Sources
- Other Literature Sources
- Medical
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Figure 13
The left panel shows that…
Figure 13
The left panel shows that the rise in MSNA is similar in young…
Figure 14
Effects of brachial artery administration…
Figure 14
Effects of brachial artery administration of norepinephrine (noradrenaline, NA) on forearm vascular conductance…
Figure 15
The is no association between…
Figure 15
The is no association between muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and total peripheral…
Figure 16
Augmentation index (AIx%) is a…
Figure 16
Augmentation index (AIx%) is a pulse wave characteristic that is affected by increases…
Figure 17
An example of age differences…
Figure 17
An example of age differences in acute sympatho-excitatory maneuvers. In this study, isometric…
Figure 18
Summary figure illustrating vascular transduction…
Figure 18
Summary figure illustrating vascular transduction and how this influences sex differences in blood…
Figure 19
In women, both muscle sympathetic…
Figure 19
In women, both muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and plasma norepinephrine (NE) is…
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Source: PubMed