Hartslagvariabiliteit modereert het verband tussen angst en sympathische zenuwactiviteit

BACKGROUND:Chronic anxiety increases the risk of incident hypertension, yet mechanisms remain equivocal. Recent evidence documents that trait anxiety is positively associated with muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), a known contributor to hypertension risk. The purpose of this study was to address the hypothesis that the association between trait anxiety, MSNA, and elevated blood pressure would be moderated by cardiac vagal activity estimated via heart rate variability (HRV).METHODS:Resting blood pressure, MSNA (microneurography), and heart rate (ECG) were collected at rest in 130 adults (71 male, 59 female; age, 25±8 years; body mass index, 25±4 kg/m2). Moderation analyses were used to investigate the moderating role of HRV on the association between trait anxiety, MSNA, and blood pressure.RESULTS:The association between trait anxiety and MSNA was significantly moderated by resting HRV such that the relationship between anxiety and MSNA was stronger (B=0.322,P=0.005) in those wi