Is muscle sympathetic nerve activity associated with cerebral blood velocity? A partial coherence analysis

Despite some evidence, the role of sympathetic nerve activity in the regulation of cerebral blood flow remains controversial. In humans, muscle sympathetic nervous activity (MSNA) is the only direct measure of sympathetic nerve activity that can be recorded with sufficient temporal resolution to allow association with dynamic regulation of cerebral blood velocity (CBv). This study tested the hypothesis that MSNA is associated with the regulation of CBv at rest and during different physiological maneuvers. Nine healthy subjects underwent two sympathoexcitatory maneuvers: 1) isometric handgrip exercise (HGR), and 2) cold pressor test (CPT). Mean arterial pressure (MAP; oscillometric method), CBv (transcranial Doppler ultrasound), and MSNA (microneurography) were measured continuously during experimental protocols. Ordinary and partial coherences of the MAP, CBv, and MSNA time series were estimated by transfer function analysis in the low-frequency range (0.07-0.20 Hz), using MAP and MSNA as inputs and CBv as the output variable. When the influence of MSNA was taken into account, the partial coherences between MAP and CBv were considerably reduced at baseline (P < 0.01), HGR (P = 0.02), and CPT (P < 0.01). Similarly, when the influence of MAP was taken into account, the coherence between MSNA and CBv was considerably reduced at baseline (P < 0.01), HGR (P = 0.02), and CPT (P = 0.01), leading to the conclusion, that MSNA was associated to dynamic regulation of CBv. Partial coherence analysis is a promising method for assessing the influence of the sympathetic nervous system on cerebral hemodynamics.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Partial coherence analysis has been instrumental in demonstrating, for the first time, that cerebral blood velocity (CBv) is continuously influenced, not only by fluctuations in mean arterial pressure but also muscle sympathetic nervous activity (MSNA), leading to similar dynamic responses at rest and during different sympathoexcitatory maneuvers in healthy subjects. Modeling the temporal relationship between MSNA and CBv opens new opportunities for advancing knowledge regarding the role of the sympathetic nervous system in the regulation of cerebral circulation in health and disease.