Faculty Collaboration Database

Age and gender influence muscle sympathetic nerve activity at rest in healthy humans. Hypertension 1993 Apr;21(4):498-503

Date

04/01/1993

Pubmed ID

8458648

DOI

10.1161/01.hyp.21.4.498

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0027394547 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   375 Citations

Abstract

Muscle sympathetic nerve activity at rest increases with age in humans. The respective influences of the aging process per se and gender on this increase and whether age and gender effects on muscle sympathetic nerve activity can be identified with plasma norepinephrine concentrations, however, have not been established. To examine these issues, nine young women (aged 24 +/- 1 years; mean +/- SEM), eight young men (aged 26 +/- 1 years), seven older women (aged 63 +/- 1 years), and eight older men (aged 66 +/- 1 years) were studied. All were healthy, normotensive (blood pressure < 140/90 mm Hg), nonobese (< 20% above ideal weight), unmedicated, nonsmokers engaged in minimal to recreational levels of chronic physical activity. Arterial blood pressure (manual sphygmomanometry, brachial artery), heart rate, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (peroneal microneurography), and antecubital venous plasma norepinephrine concentrations (radioenzymatic assay) were determined during quiet supine resting conditions. Body weight was higher in men, but there were no age-related differences, whereas estimated body fat (sum of skinfolds) was higher in women and in the older groups (p < 0.05). Estimated daily energy expenditure, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate were not different among the groups. Both muscle sympathetic nerve activity burst frequency and burst incidence at rest were progressively higher in the young women, young men, older women, and older men (10 +/- 1 versus 18 +/- 2 versus 25 +/- 3 versus 39 +/- 5 bursts/min and 16 +/- 1 versus 30 +/- 4 versus 40 +/- 3 versus 61 +/- 6 bursts/100 heartbeats, respectively; all p < 0.05 versus each other).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Author List

Ng AV, Callister R, Johnson DG, Seals DR

Author

Alexander V. Ng PhD Associate Professor in the Exercise Science department at Marquette University

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Aging
Blood Pressure
Energy Metabolism
Female
Heart Rate
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Muscles
Norepinephrine
Peroneal Nerve
Reference Values
Sex Factors
Sympathetic Nervous System