title: Cardiac autonomic profile during rest and working memory load in essential hypotensive women.
abstract: To our knowledge, no previous study has provided reliable data supporting a different modulation of the Neurovegetative system in essential hypotension. Our purpose was to provide, in essential hypotensive women compared to normotensives, evidence of a distinct sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiac control. Cardiovascular and autonomic indexes derived by impedance cardiography (heart rate, HR; pre-ejection period, PEP), photoplethysmographic technique (blood pressure, BP) and heart rate variability analysis (high and low frequencies power, HF and LF) were continuously collected during rest and mental stress condition. Hypotensives, compared to normotensives, exhibited prolonged PEP (low sympathetic tone) and elevated HF (high vagal involvement) during rest. In addition, they showed cardiovascular (reduced increases in BP and HR) and sympathetic (lower reductions of PEP) hypo-reactivity to the task. Furthermore, a lower sympathetic reactivity in hypotensives was associated to a poorer task performance. Essential hypotension was characterized by a low sympathetic and high parasympathetic tone. In addition, a reduced sympathetic nervous system reactivity suggests the main role of the Neurovegetative system in mediating the relationship between blood pressure and cognitive performance in hypotensives.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy. massimiliano.dezambotti@sri.com
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Zambotti
authors.forename: Naima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Covassin
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cellini
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarlo
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stegagno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007022:Hypotension / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012146:Rest; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult