title: Evidence for the emergence of leg sympathetic vasoconstrictor tone with age in healthy women.
abstract: While muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) is elevated with advancing age, correlational evidence suggests that, in contrast to men, basal MSNA is not related to resting lower limb hemodynamics in women. However, limited data exists in women that have attempted to directly assess the degree of limb sympathetic vasoconstrictor tone, and whether it is altered with age. To address this issue, we measured changes in femoral artery vascular conductance (FVC) during an acute sympatho-inhibitory stimulus (-60 mm Hg neck suction, NS) in groups of healthy younger (n = 8, 23 ± 1 years) and older (n = 7, 66 ± 1 years) women. The percent change in FVC in response to NS was significantly augmented in the older (P = 0.006 vs. young) women. Although NS caused no significant change (3 ± 3%, P = 0.33) in FVC in the young women, there was a robust increase in FVC (21 ± 5%, P = 0.003) in the old women. Collectively, these findings provide evidence that in women, leg sympathetic vasoconstrictor tone emerges with age.
authors: Noll Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Physiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
authors: David J
authors: DJ
authors: Moore
authors: Noll Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania Department of Biology, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico.
authors: Matthew A
authors: MA
authors: Barlow
authors: Noll Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Exercise & Sport Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas.
authors: Joaquin U
authors: JU
authors: Gonzales
authors: Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Cheri L
authors: CL
authors: McGowan
authors: Noll Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Physiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
authors: James A
authors: JA
authors: Pawelczyk
authors: Noll Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Physiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
authors: David N
authors: DN
authors: Proctor
keywords: Aging; blood flow; sympathetic; vascular conductance
references: Exp Physiol. 2003 Sep;88(5):595-601
references: 12955159
references: J Physiol. 2001 Mar 1;531(Pt 2):573-9
references: 11230528
references: Hypertension. 2014 Feb;63(2):303-8
references: 24324040
references: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2011 Dec;301(6):H2454-65
references: 21963834
references: Hypertension. 2005 Apr;45(4):522-5
references: 15767469
references: Am Heart J. 1993 May;125(5 Pt 2):1494-7
references: 8480620
references: Clin Auton Res. 2010 Aug;20(4):271-5
references: 20221842
references: J Physiol. 2007 Jul 1;582(Pt 1):63-71
references: 17463044
references: Circulation. 2005 Feb 1;111(4):494-8
references: 15687139
references: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2014 May 15;306(10 ):H1417-25
references: 24682393
references: J Physiol. 2001 Nov 1;536(Pt 3):977-83
references: 11691889
references: Am J Physiol. 1998 Nov;275(5 Pt 2):R1600-4
references: 9791079
references: Clin Sci (Lond). 2007 Jun;112(6):353-61
references: 17129210
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 1997 Jul;83(1):229-39
references: 9216968
references: J Physiol. 2012 May 1;590(9):2069-79
references: 22351633
references: Hypertension. 1993 Apr;21(4):498-503
references: 8458648
references: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000 Oct;36(4):1233-8
references: 11028476
references: Circulation. 1999 Jul 13;100(2):164-70
references: 10402446
references: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001 Jan;37(1):153-6
references: 11153730
references: J Appl Physiol (1985). 2003 Feb;94(2):542-8
references: 12391067
references: J Physiol. 2003 Feb 15;547(Pt 1):309-16
references: 12562958
references: J Physiol. 2011 Nov 1;589(Pt 21):5285-97
references: 21859824
references: Hypertension. 2009 Mar;53(3):571-6
references: 19171792