title: Non-invasive approach for the assessment of sympathetic baroreflex function: A feasibility study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evaluation of sympathetic baroreflex (sBR) function in humans requires intra-neural recording of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurography.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We proposed noninvasive approach for the evaluation of sBR function by applying the threshold-analysis (traditionally, based on MSNA) to systemic vascular resistance (SVR) measurement by photoplethysmography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In nine healthy subjects (5M; age: 25±5y), the threshold-analysis was calculated twice: using MSNA and SVR. Both methods yield comparable results in men (T50(burst-vs.-svr): CV=8.8%, r>0.9; Slope(burst-svr): CV=30.1%; r>0.9), but not in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SVR-based threshold-analysis is feasible in healthy young subjects and provides a promising alternative to the traditional MSNA-based approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; Department of Cardiology, Centre for Heart Diseases, 4th Military Hospital, Wroclaw, Poland. Electronic address: bartlomiej.paleczny@umed.wroc.pl.
authors.forename: Bartłomiej
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paleczny
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; Department of Cardiology, Centre for Heart Diseases, 4th Military Hospital, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siennicka
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Centre for Heart Diseases, 4th Military Hospital, Wroclaw, Poland; Department of Heart Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ponikowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ponikowska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*; D017156:Photoplethysmography / Q000379:methods*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Microneurography; Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA); Sympathetic baroreflex; Systemic vascular resistance; Threshold-analysis