TY - JOUR
T1 - Sympathetic Action Potential Firing and Recruitment Patterns Are Abnormal in Gestational Hypertension
AU - Badrov, Mark B.
AU - Yoo, Jeung Ki
AU - Hissen, Sarah L.
AU - Nelson, David B.
AU - Kevin Shoemaker, J.
AU - Fu, Qi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023/2/1
Y1 - 2023/2/1
N2 - Background: We tested the hypothesis that women who develop gestational hypertension (GH) display abnormal sympathetic action potential (AP) discharge patterns during late pregnancy (32-36 weeks), both at supine rest and during postural stress. Methods: Thirteen nonpregnant, female controls (nonpregnant controls [CTRL]) and 32 pregnant women participated; 14 had low-risk (no personal history of GH) normal pregnancies (LR-NP), 10 had high-risk (personal history of GH) normal pregnancies (HR-NP), and 8 developed GH. We measured heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (microneurography) at supine rest and 60° head-up tilt. Sympathetic AP patterns were studied using wavelet-based methodology. Results: At rest, muscle sympathetic nerve activity burst frequency was elevated in LR-NP, HR-NP, and GH versus CTRL (all P≤0.01); however, the AP content per integrated burst was augmented only in GH (20±5 spikes/burst), compared with CTRL (8±3 spikes/burst), LR-NP (9±2 spikes/burst) and HR-NP (11±4 spikes/burst; all P<0.0001). Thus, total AP firing frequency was greater in GH versus each of CTRL, LR-NP, and HR-NP (all P<0.0001). In pregnancy, AP frequency is related directly to systolic (R2=46%) and diastolic (R2=20%) blood pressure (both P≤0.01). Unlike CTRL (both P<0.01), women who developed GH were unable to increase within-burst AP firing (P=0.71) or recruit latent subpopulations of larger-sized APs (P=0.72) in response to head-up tilt, perhaps related to a ceiling-effect; however, total AP firing frequency in the upright posture was elevated in the GH cohort versus CTRL, LR-NP, and HR-NP (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Women who develop GH display aberrant sympathetic AP firing patterns in both the supine and upright postures.
AB - Background: We tested the hypothesis that women who develop gestational hypertension (GH) display abnormal sympathetic action potential (AP) discharge patterns during late pregnancy (32-36 weeks), both at supine rest and during postural stress. Methods: Thirteen nonpregnant, female controls (nonpregnant controls [CTRL]) and 32 pregnant women participated; 14 had low-risk (no personal history of GH) normal pregnancies (LR-NP), 10 had high-risk (personal history of GH) normal pregnancies (HR-NP), and 8 developed GH. We measured heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (microneurography) at supine rest and 60° head-up tilt. Sympathetic AP patterns were studied using wavelet-based methodology. Results: At rest, muscle sympathetic nerve activity burst frequency was elevated in LR-NP, HR-NP, and GH versus CTRL (all P≤0.01); however, the AP content per integrated burst was augmented only in GH (20±5 spikes/burst), compared with CTRL (8±3 spikes/burst), LR-NP (9±2 spikes/burst) and HR-NP (11±4 spikes/burst; all P<0.0001). Thus, total AP firing frequency was greater in GH versus each of CTRL, LR-NP, and HR-NP (all P<0.0001). In pregnancy, AP frequency is related directly to systolic (R2=46%) and diastolic (R2=20%) blood pressure (both P≤0.01). Unlike CTRL (both P<0.01), women who developed GH were unable to increase within-burst AP firing (P=0.71) or recruit latent subpopulations of larger-sized APs (P=0.72) in response to head-up tilt, perhaps related to a ceiling-effect; however, total AP firing frequency in the upright posture was elevated in the GH cohort versus CTRL, LR-NP, and HR-NP (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Women who develop GH display aberrant sympathetic AP firing patterns in both the supine and upright postures.
KW - action potentials
KW - blood pressure
KW - pregnancy
KW - sympathetic nervous system
KW - women
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85142336474&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85142336474&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.122.19754
DO - 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.122.19754
M3 - Article
C2 - 36065805
AN - SCOPUS:85142336474
SN - 0194-911X
VL - 80
SP - 291
EP - 301
JO - Hypertension
JF - Hypertension
IS - 2
ER -