Men Show Reduced Cardiac Baroreceptor Sensitivity during Modestly Painful Electrical Stimulation of the Forearm: Exploratory Results from a Sham-Controlled Crossover Vagus Nerve Stimulation Study

Elisabeth Veiz, Susann-Kristin Kieslich, Julia Staab, Dirk Czesnik, Christoph Herrmann-Lingen and Thomas Meyer
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Elisabeth Veiz: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
Susann-Kristin Kieslich: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
Julia Staab: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
Dirk Czesnik: Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
Christoph Herrmann-Lingen: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
Thomas Meyer: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-14

Abstract: This paper presents data from a transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation experiment that point towards a blunted cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity (cBRS) in young males compared to females during electrical stimulation of the forearm and a rhythmic breathing task. Continuous electrocardiography, impedance cardiography and continuous blood-pressure recordings were assessed in a sex-matched cohort of twenty young healthy subjects. Electrical stimulation of the median nerve was conducted by using a threshold-tracking method combined with two rhythmic breathing tasks (0.1 and 0.2 Hz) before, during and after active or sham transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation. Autonomic and hemodynamic parameters were calculated, and differences were analyzed by using linear mixed models and post hoc F-tests. None of the autonomic and hemodynamic parameters differed between the sham and active conditions. However, compared to females, male participants had an overall lower total cBRS independent of stimulation condition during nerve stimulation (females: 14.96 ± 5.67 ms/mmHg, males: 11.89 ± 3.24 ms/mmHg, p = 0.031) and rhythmic breathing at 0.2 Hz (females: 21.49 ± 8.47 ms/mmHg, males: 15.12 ± 5.70 ms/mmHg, p = 0.004). Whereas vagus nerve stimulation at the left inner tragus did not affect the efferent vagal control of the heart, we found similar patterns of baroreceptor sensitivity activation over the stimulation period in both sexes, which, however, significantly differed in their magnitude, with females showing an overall higher cBRS.

Keywords: spontaneous baroreceptor sensitivity; transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation; sex differences; heart rate variability; nerve stimulation; stress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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