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Effect of mental stress on the tone of a medium-sized muscular artery
D Hayoz1, Y Tardy, B Rutschmann
1Hypertension Division, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Aim:
We studied the effects of mental stress on the tone of the radial artery, a medium-sized muscular artery.
Methods:
Using an A-mode echo-tracking device coupled to a photoplethysmograph, we took continuous measurements of the radial artery diameter, heart rate and finger arterial pressure in six healthy young volunteers.
Results:
Under mental stress, the heart rate increased from 63 +/- 4 to 74 +/- 4 beats/min (mean +/- SEM, P < 0.01) and systolic pressure from 123 +/- 5 to 140 +/- 6 mmHg (P < 0.05). No consistent modification in the arterial diameter was observed at this time.
Conclusion:
The activation of sympathetic nerve activity induced by mental stress does not cause a significant contraction in the radial artery.