American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology · 1997 · 33 citations · 0 references
NursingPhysiologyPsychologyHealth PsychologyPsychophysiologyStress PhysiologyAutonomic Nervous SystemBlood Pressure ControlBlood Pressure RegulationCardiovascular PhysiologyHeart Rate VariabilityPsychological StressAutonomic Cardiovascular ControlBlood PressureBlood Pressure VariabilityCardiac Autonomic RegulationCardiovascular Autonomic ControlHeart RateStress-induced Blood Pressure ResponseStress-induced Cardiovascular Responses
Blood pressure exhibits variability (BPV) at low (0.02- to 0.07-Hz), mid (0.07- to 0.15-Hz)-, and high (0.15- to 0.50-Hz) frequencies. Evidence suggests that BPV responses to challenge are inversely related to cardiac autonomic control. We tested this hypothesis by examining the BPV responses to psychological stressors in 22 normal subjects who differed in cardiac control, operationalized as resting heart period variability (HPV). HPV and BPV were measured noninvasively or a beat-to-beat basis. The stressors produced a significant increase in heart rate and a small but significant increase in diastolic blood pressure. As predicted, the changes in BPV in response to the stressors were inversely related to resting HPV. The results are interpreted in terms of a model of cardiovascular control that holds that BPV originates from feedforward effects of central control of the heart, feedback effects mediated through the baroreflexes, and direct sympathetic vascular effects.