Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Arterial wave reflection and vascular autonomic modulation in young and older men

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background and aims: Arterial stiffening with aging causes early return of reflected arterial pressure waves from peripheral arteries and augmentation of these waves on incident aortic pressure waves. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between pressure wave reflection and augmentation from peripheral arteries and peripheral sympathetic vasomotion in young and older men. Methods: Thirty males (15 young, 15 older) participated in this cross-sectional study. Radial artery applanation tonometry was used to derive aortic pressure wave reflection time (Δt; index of aortic stiffness) and augmentation index (AIx; index of wave reflection intensity). Low frequency (LF) power attained from spectral decomposition of beat-to-beat systolic blood pressure (SBPLF) variability was used as an estimate of sympathetic vasomotor modulation. Results: SBPLF power was higher in older vs younger men (8.0±0.9 vs 4.5±0.5 mmHg2, p<0.05). Older men had higher AIx (24.0±1.8% vs −11.6±2.3%, p<0.05) and lower At (138.1±1.9 ms vs 185.8±5.9 ms, p<0.05) compared with younger males. When ANCOVA was performed with SBPLF power as the covariate, the group differences in AIx75 and Δt were preserved. Results from multiple regression revealed that, after entering age into the model, SBPLF power was not a significant correlate of AIx or Δt, accounting for a non-significant 1.2% and 1.1% of the variance, respectively. Conclusions: These findings suggest that increased blood pressure variability with aging is not related to age-associated increases in aortic stiffness or wave reflection.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. McEniery CM, Yasmin, Hall IR, Qasem A, Wilkinson B, Cockcroft JR; ACCT Investigators. Normal vascular aging: differential effects on wave reflection and aortic pulse wave velocity: the Anglo-Cardiff Collaborative Trial (ACCT). J Am Coll Cardiol 2005; 46: 1753–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Mitchell GF, Parise H, Benjamin EJ, et al. Changes in arterial stiffness and wave reflection with advancing age in healthy men and women: the Framingham Heart Study. Hypertension 2004; 43: 1239–45.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lakatta EG. Cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms in advanced age. Physiol Rev 1993; 73: 413–67.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hayashi T, Nakayama Y, Tsumura K, Yoshimaru K, Ueda H. Reflection in the arterial system and the risk of coronary heart disease. Am J Hypertens 2002; 15: 405–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Weber T, Auer J, O’Rourke MF, et al. Arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and the risk of coronary artery disease. Circulation 2004; 20: 109: 184–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Pagani M, Montano N, Porta A, et al. Relationship between spectral components of cardiovascular variabilities and direct measures of muscle sympathetic nerve activity in humans. Circulation 1997; 95: 1441–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Delacorte RR, Moriguti JC, Matos FD, Pfrimer K, Marchinil JS, Ferriolli E. Mini-nutritional assessment score and the risk for undernutrition in free-living older persons. J Nutr Health Aging 2004; 8: 531–4.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Chen CH, Nevo E, Fetics B, et al. Estimation of central aortic pressure waveform by mathematical transformation of radial tonometry pressure: validation of generalized transfer function. Circulation 1997; 95: 1827–36.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Pauca AL, O’Rourke MF, Kon ND. Prospective evaluation of a method for estimating ascending aortic pressure from the radial artery pressure waveform. Hypertension 2001; 38: 932–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Edwards DG, Lang JT. Augmentation index and systolic load are lower in competitive endurance athletes. Am J Hypertens 2005; 18: 679–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Edwards DG, Schofield RS, Magyari PM, Nichols WW, Braith RW. Effect of exercise training on central aortic pressure wave reflection in coronary artery disease. Am J Hypertens 2004; 17: 540–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Wilkinson IB, MacCallum H, Hint L, Cockcroft JR, Newby DE, Webb DJ. The influence of heart rate on augmentation index and central arterial pressure in humans. J Physiol 2000; 525: 263–70.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wilkinson IB, Fuchs SA, Jansen IM, et al. Reproducibility of pulse wave velocity and augmentation index measured by pulse wave analysis. J Hypertens 1998; 16: 2079–84.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Imholz BP, Wieling W, Langewouters GJ, van Montfrans GA. Continuous finger arterial pressure: utility in the cardiovascular laboratory. Clin Auton Res 1991; 1: 43–53.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Boardman A, Schiindwein FS, Rocha AP, Leite A. A study on the optimum order of autoregressive models for heart rate variability. Physiol Meas 2002; 23: 325–36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Cloarec-Blanchard L, Funck-Brentano C, Lipski M, Jaillon P, Macquin-Mavier I. Repeatability of spectral components of shortterm blood pressure and heart rate variability during acute sympathetic activation in healthy young male subjects. Clin Sci (Lond) 1997; 93: 21–8.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Dinenno FA, Jones PP, Seals DR, Tanaka H. Age-associated arterial wall thickening is related to elevations in sympathetic activity in healthy humans. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2000; 278: H1205–10.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Failla M, Grappiolo A, Emanuelli G, et al. Sympathetic modulation restrains arterial distensibility of healthy and atherosclerotic subjects. J Hypertens 1999; 117: 1117–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Giannattasio C, Failla M, Lucchina S, et al. Arterial stiffening influence of sympathetic nerve activity: evidence from hand transplantation in humans. Hypertension 2005; 45: 608–11.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Boutouyrie P, Lacolley P, Girerd X, Beck L, Safar M, Laurent S. Sympathetic activation decreases medium-sized arterial compliance in humans. Am J Physiol 1994; 267: H1368–76.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Mangoni AA, Mircoli L, Giannattasio C, Mancia G, Ferrari AU. Effect of sympathectomy on mechanical properties of common carotid and femoral arteries. Hypertension 1997; 30: 1085–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Thijssen DH, de Groot PC, Kooijman M, Smits P, Hopman MT. Sympathetic nervous system contributes to the age-related impairment of flow-mediated dilation of the superficial femoral artery. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2006; 291: H3122–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Seals DR. Habitual exercise and the age-associated decline in large artery compliance. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2003; 31: 68–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Dinenno FA, Tanaka H, Stauffer BL, Seals DR. Reductions in basal limb blood flow and vascular conductance with human aging: role for augmented α-adrenergic vasoconstriction. J Physiol 2001; 563: 977–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Yasmin, McEniery CM, Wallace S, et al. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), MMP-2, and serum elastase activity are associated with systolic hypertension and arterial stiffness. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2005; 25: 372–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Yasmin, McEniery CM, Wallace S, Mackenzie IS, Cockcroft JR, Wilkinson IB. C-reactive protein is associated with arterial stiffness in apparently healthy individuals. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2004; 24: 969–74.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Tanaka H, Dinenno FA, Monahan KD, DeSouza CA, Seals DR. Carotid artery wall hypertrophy with age is related to local systolic blood pressure in healthy men. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2001; 21: 82–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Borghi C, Dormi A, L’Italien G, et al. The relationship between systolic blood pressure and cardiovascular risk- results of the Brisighella Heart Study. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2003; 5: 47–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Franklin SS, Jacobs MJ, Wong ND, L’Italien G, Lapuerta P. Predominance of isolated systolic hypertension among middle-aged and elderly US hypertensives: analysis based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III. Hypertension 2001; 37: 869–74.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Izzo JL. Arterial stiffness and the systolic hypertension syndrome. Curr Opin Cardiol 2004; 19: 341–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. van der Heijden-Spek JJ, Staessen JA, Fagard RH, Hoeks AP, Boudier HA, van Bortel LM. Effect of age on brachial artery wall properties differs from the aorta and is gender dependent: a population study. Hypertension 2000; 35: 637–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exercise and Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, and the Exercise Immunology Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Rehabilitation Education Center, 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

    Kevin S. Heffernan MS, Sae Young Jae, Miyoung Lee, Jeffrey A. Woods & Bo Fernhall

Authors
  1. Kevin S. Heffernan MS
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sae Young Jae
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Miyoung Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jeffrey A. Woods
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bo Fernhall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin S. Heffernan MS.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Heffernan, K.S., Jae, S.Y., Lee, M. et al. Arterial wave reflection and vascular autonomic modulation in young and older men. Aging Clin Exp Res 20, 1–7 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324740

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324740

Keywords

Search

Navigation