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Grassi G, Drager LF. Sympathetic overactivity, hypertension and cardiovascular disease: state of the art. Curr Med Res Opin 2024; 40:5-13. [PMID: 38597067 DOI: 10.1080/03007995.2024.2305248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the most prevalent cause of premature death worldwide. It had been suspected for decades that increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) might play a pathogenetic role in the development and progression of hypertension, heart failure (HF) and CVD. The use of microneurographic techniques to directly assess the SNS has allowed this field to advance considerably in recent years. We now have compelling evidence for a key role of sympathetic overactivity in the pathogenesis and progression of hypertension and associated hypertension-mediated organ damage (such as endothelial dysfunction, arterial stiffness and left ventricular hypertrophy), HF (with or without reduced left ventricular ejection fraction). Sympathetic overactivity also drives increased cardiovascular risk in the settings of obesity, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease and obstructive sleep apnoea, among other conditions. Thus, sympathetic overactivity is an important factor that drives patients through the CVD continuum, from the early appearance of cardiovascular risk factors, to impairments of the structure and function of components of the heart and arteries, to established CVD, and ultimately to a life-threatening cardiovascular event. A deeper understanding of the role of sympathetic overactivity in the pathogenesis of CVD and HF will support the optimization of therapeutic interventions for these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Grassi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinica Medica, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Luciano F Drager
- Hypertension Unit, Renal Division, University of São Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Hypertension Unit, Heart Institute (InCor), University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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Xu Z, Soh Z, Kurota Y, Kimura Y, Hirano H, Sasaoka T, Yoshino A, Tsuji T. Neuroimaging-based evidence for sympathetic correlation between brain activity and peripheral vasomotion during pain anticipation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3383. [PMID: 38337009 PMCID: PMC10858222 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53921-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Anticipation of pain engenders anxiety and fear, potentially shaping pain perception and governing bodily responses such as peripheral vasomotion through the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Sympathetic innervation of vascular tone during pain perception has been quantified using a peripheral arterial stiffness index; however, its innervation role during pain anticipation remains unclear. This paper reports on a neuroimaging-based study designed to investigate the responsivity and attribution of the index at different levels of anticipatory anxiety and pain perception. The index was measured in a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment that randomly combined three visual anticipation cues and painful stimuli of two intensities. The peripheral and cerebral responses to pain anticipation and perception were quantified to corroborate bodily responsivity, and their temporal correlation was also assessed to identify the response attribution of the index. Contrasting with the high responsivity across levels of pain sensation, a low responsivity of the index across levels of anticipatory anxiety revealed its specificity across pain experiences. Discrepancies between the effects of perception and anticipation were validated across regions and levels of brain activity, providing a brain basis for peripheral response specificity. The index was also characterized by a 1-s lag in both anticipation and perception of pain, implying top-down innervation of the periphery. Our findings suggest that the SNS responds to pain in an emotion-specific and sensation-unbiased manner, thus enabling an early assessment of individual pain perception using this index. This study integrates peripheral and cerebral hemodynamic responses toward a comprehensive understanding of bodily responses to pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqiang Xu
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8527, Japan
| | - Zu Soh
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8527, Japan.
| | - Yuta Kurota
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8527, Japan
| | - Yuya Kimura
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8527, Japan
| | - Harutoyo Hirano
- Department of Medical Equipment Engineering, Clinical Collaboration Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Takafumi Sasaoka
- Center for Brain, Mind and KANSEI Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 734-8553, Japan
| | - Atsuo Yoshino
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan
| | - Toshio Tsuji
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8527, Japan.
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Xu Z, Anai R, Hirano H, Soh Z, Tsuji T. Noninvasive characterization of peripheral sympathetic activation across sensory stimuli using a peripheral arterial stiffness index. Front Physiol 2024; 14:1294239. [PMID: 38260092 PMCID: PMC10801023 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1294239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: The peripheral arterial stiffness index has been proposed and validated as a noninvasive measure quantifying stimulus intensity based on amplitude changes induced by sympathetic innervation of vascular tone. However, its temporal response characteristics remain unclear, thus hindering continuous and accurate monitoring of the dynamic process of sympathetic activation. This paper presents a study aimed at modeling the transient response of the index across sensory stimuli to characterize the corresponding peripheral sympathetic activation. Methods: The index was measured using a continuous arterial pressure monitor and a pulse oximeter during experiments with local pain and local cooling stimuli designed to elicit different patterns of sympathetic activation. The corresponding response of the index was modeled to clarify its transient response characteristics across stimuli. Results: The constructed transfer function accurately depicted the transient response of the index to local pain and local cooling stimuli (Fit percentage: 78.4% ± 11.00% and 79.92% ± 8.79%). Differences in dead time (1.17 ± 0.67 and 0.99 ± 0.56 s, p = 0.082), peak time (2.89 ± 0.81 and 2.64 ± 0.68 s, p = 0.006), and rise time (1.81 ± 0.50 and 1.65 ± 0.48 s, p = 0.020) revealed different response patterns of the index across stimuli. The index also accurately characterized similar vasomotor velocities at different normalized peak amplitudes (0.19 ± 0.16 and 0.16 ± 0.19 a.u., p = 0.007). Discussion: Our findings flesh out the characterization of peripheral arterial stiffness index responses to different sensory stimuli and demonstrate its validity in characterizing peripheral sympathetic activation. This study valorizes a noninvasive method to characterize peripheral sympathetic activation, with the potential to use this index to continuously and accurately track sympathetic activators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqiang Xu
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Reiji Anai
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Harutoyo Hirano
- Department of Medical Equipment Engineering, Clinical Collaboration Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Zu Soh
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Toshio Tsuji
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
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