The degree of engagement of cardiac and sympathetic arms of the baroreflex does not depend on the absolute value and sign of arterial pressure variations.

OBJECTIVE: The percentages of cardiac and sympathetic baroreflex patterns detected via baroreflex sequence (SEQ) technique from spontaneous variability of heart period (HP) and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and of muscle nerve sympathetic activity (MSNA) burst rate and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) are utilized to assess the level of the baroreflex engagement. The cardiac baroreflex patterns can be distinguished in those featuring both HP and SAP increases (cSEQ++) and decreases (cSEQ--), while the sympathetic baroreflex patterns in those featuring a MSNA burst rate decrease and a DAP increase (sSEQ+-) and vice versa (sSEQ-+). The present study aims to assess the modifications of the involvement of the cardiac and sympathetic arms of the baroreflex with age and postural stimulus intensity.

APPROACH: We monitored the percentages of cSEQ++ (%cSEQ++) and cSEQ- (%cSEQ--) in 100 healthy subjects (age: 21-70 yrs, 54 males, 46 females), divided into five sex-balanced groups consisting of 20 subjects in each decade at rest in supine position and during active standing (STAND). We evaluated %cSEQ++, %cSEQ--, and the percentages of sSEQ+- (%sSEQ+-) and sSEQ-+ (%sSEQ-+) in 12 young healthy subjects (age 23±2 yrs, 3 females, 9 males) undergoing incremental head-up tilt.

MAIN RESULTS: We found that: i) %cSEQ++ and %cSEQ- decreased with age and increased with STAND and postural stimulus intensity; ii) %sSEQ+- and %sSEQ-+ augmented with postural challenge magnitude; iii) the level of cardiac and sympathetic baroreflex engagement did not depend on either the absolute value of arterial pressure or the direction of its changes.

SIGNIFICANCE: This study stresses the limited ability of the cardiac and sympathetic arms of the baroreflex in controlling absolute arterial pressure values and the equivalent ability of both positive and negative arterial pressure changes in soliciting them.