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DOI

  • Andrew W D'Souza
    University of Alberta
  • Jonathan Moore
  • Kazumasa Manabe
    Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, DallasUT Southwestern Medical Centre
  • Justin Lawley
    University of Innsbruck
  • Takuro Wasio
    Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, DallasUT Southwestern Medical Centre
  • Sarah Hissen
    UT Southwestern Medical CentreTexas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas
  • Belinda Sanchez
    UT Southwestern Medical CentreTexas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas
  • Qi Fu
    UT Southwestern Medical CentreTexas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas
Body posture and biological sex exhibit independent effects on the sympathetic neural responses to dynamic exercise. However, the neural mechanisms (e.g., baroreflex) by which posture impacts sympathetic outflow during rhythmic muscular contractions and whether biological sex affects posture-mediated changes in efferent sympathetic nerve traffic during exercise remains unknown. Thus, we tested the hypotheses that increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) would be greater during upright compared to supine rhythmic handgrip (RHG) exercise, and that females would demonstrate smaller increases in MSNA during upright RHG exercise than males. Twenty young (30 [6] years; mean [SD]) individuals (9 males, 11 females) underwent 6-minutes of supine and upright (head-up tilt 45°) RHG exercise at 40% maximal voluntary contraction with continuous measurements of MSNA (microneurography), blood pressure (photoplethysmography) and heart rate (electrocardiogram). In the pooled group, absolute MSNA burst frequency (P<0.001), amplitude (P=0.009), and total MSNA (P<0.001) were higher during upright compared to supine RHG exercise. However, body posture did not impact the peak change in MSNA during RHG exercise (range: P=0.063-0.495). Spontaneous sympathetic baroreflex gain decreased from rest to RHG exercise (P=0.006) and was not impacted by posture (P=0.347). During upright RHG exercise, males demonstrated larger increases in MSNA burst amplitude (P=0.002) and total MSNA (P=0.001) compared to females, that coincided with greater reductions in sympathetic baroreflex gain (P=0.004). Collectively, these data indicate that acute attenuation of baroreflex-mediated sympathoinhibition permits increases in MSNA during RHG exercise, and that males exhibit a greater reserve for efferent sympathetic neural recruitment during orthostasis than females.

Keywords

  • MSNA, arterial baroreflex, cardiovascular control, exercise pressor reflex, microneurography
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)R133-R144
JournalAmerican Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology
Volume327
Issue number2
Early online date13 Jul 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2024
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