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Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 275: H460-H466, 1998;
0363-6135/98 $5.00
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Vol. 275, Issue 2, H460-H466, August 1998

Vulnerability to arrhythmias during social stress in rats with different sympathovagal balance

Andrea Sgoifo1, Sietse F. De Boer1, Bauke Buwalda1, Gerdien Korte-Bouws1, Jolanda Tuma1, Bela Bohus1, Johan Zaagsma2, and Jaap M. Koolhaas1

1 Department of Animal Physiology, Institute for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, 9750 AA Haren; and 2 Department of Molecular Pharmacology, University of Groningen, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands

An increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system is an important factor in the genesis of ventricular arrhythmias. Changes in average R-R interval, R-R interval variability (indirect measure of sympathovagal balance), occurrence of arrhythmias, and plasma norepinephrine concentrations were measured during a social stress episode (defeat) in two strains of rats, Wistar and wild type, which were supposed to differ in their autonomic stress responsiveness. Electrocardiograms were telemetrically recorded, and blood samples were withdrawn through jugular vein catheters from healthy, freely moving animals. R-R interval variability was estimated by the following time-domain parameters: the standard deviation of the mean R-R interval, the coefficient of variance, and the root mean square of successive differences in R-R interval. Average R-R interval and R-R interval variability measures, as well as plasma norepinephrine concentrations, indicated a higher sympathetic tone, a larger sympathetic responsiveness, and a lower parasympathetic antagonism after sympathetic activation in wild-type animals, which also showed a much higher incidence of arrhythmias (ventricular premature beats), compared with Wistar rats. These two strains might represent a valuable experimental model for studying the mechanisms (cellular/electrophysiological) responsible for the susceptibility to arrhythmias in healthy individuals exposed to stressful situations.

telemetry electrocardiograms; autonomic nervous system; norepinephrine; defeat; vagal tone


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