|
|
||||||||
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Department of Exercise Science
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
e-mail: harald-stauss{at}uiowa.edu
Department of Physical Education
Cornell College
Mt. Vernon, Iowa
Departments of Internal Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics
and the Cardiovascular Center
The University of Iowa
and The Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Iowa City, Iowa
Departments of Internal Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics
and the Cardiovascular Center
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
Departments of Psychology, Pharmacology, and Exercise Science and the Cardiovascular Center
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
ABSTRACT
The following is the abstract of the article discussed in the subsequent letter:
The function of the arterial baroreflex has traditionally been assessed by measurement of reflex changes in heart rate (HR) or sympathetic nerve activity resulting from experimenter-induced manipulation of arterial blood pressure (the Oxford method, also termed the pharmacological method). However, logistical and flexibility limitations of this technique have promoted the development of new methods for assessing baroreflex function such as the evaluation of changes in spontaneous arterial pressure and HR. Although this new spontaneous method has been validated in dogs and humans, it has not been rigorously tested in rats. In the present study, the method of correlating spontaneous changes in systolic blood pressure and HR was evaluated in resting, normotensive Sprague-Dawley rats. This technique was found to be neither reliable nor valid under the conditions employed in the present protocol. We also tested a variation of the spontaneous method that evaluates particular sequences of data during which arterial pressure and pulse interval are changing in the same direction for at least three consecutive heart beats (the sequence method). The sequence method did not provide extra reliability or validity over the spontaneous method. We conclude that due to the restricted range of variability obtained by measuring spontaneous blood pressure fluctuations, the spontaneous and sequence techniques do not provide data that are comparable to the traditional method of assessing HR changes triggered by arterial blood pressure increases and decreases induced by vasoactive drugs. However, it is possible that surgical stress obscured the relationship between blood pressure and HR, and therefore additional studies are needed to determine whether the spontaneous and sequence methods can be applied to rats during different behavioral states.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
V. A. Braga, M. A. Burmeister, R. V. Sharma, and R. L. Davisson Cardiovascular responses to peripheral chemoreflex activation and comparison of different methods to evaluate baroreflex gain in conscious mice using telemetry Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, October 1, 2008; 295(4): R1168 - R1174. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. Fazan Jr, D. A. Huber, C. A. A. Silva, V. J. Dias da Silva, M. C. O. Salgado, and H. C. Salgado Sildenafil acts on the central nervous system increasing sympathetic activity J Appl Physiol, June 1, 2008; 104(6): 1683 - 1689. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Y. Feng, X. Yue, H. Xia, S. M. Bindom, P. J. Hickman, C. M. Filipeanu, G. Wu, and E. Lazartigues Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Overexpression in the Subfornical Organ Prevents the Angiotensin II-Mediated Pressor and Drinking Responses and Is Associated With Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Downregulation Circ. Res., March 28, 2008; 102(6): 729 - 736. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |