5.1 STRESS-INDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND THE RETINAL VASCULATURE: THE SABPA PROSPECTIVE STUDY
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.artres.2018.10.048How to use a DOI?
- Abstract
Objectives: Retinal vessels are part of the intracranial vasculature and analysis thereof complements behavioural and brain measures. Mental stress was related to downregulation of norepinephrine in Africans. Hence we continue by assessing prospective associations between sympathetic nervous system activity and retinal vessel calibres.
Methods: Black and Caucasian participants (n = 275; 45 ± 9 years) were stratified into tertiles according norepinephrine:creatinine (NE:Cr) ratio at baseline. Three year prospective % changes (Δ) for depression (PHQ-9), urinary NE:Cr, serum cortisol and High-Density-Lipoprotein (HDL, neuronal-membrane-integrity and ischemic stroke risk marker) were obtained. At 3yr-follow-up, retinal microvascular calibres were quantified from digital images in the mydriatic eye and salivary cortisol (sC) and α-amylase (sAA), adrenergic activity marker were obtained.
Results: Only the low NE:Cr-tertile group (44% Black; 64% Men), showed chronic depression and hypertension prevalence. Over 3yrs, their NE:Cr increased whereas cortisol and HDL decreased. At 3yr-follow-up, wider venules (stroke risk marker) were apparent in the low- compared to the high-tertile group (Figure 1). In the low-tertile group, chronic depression was associated with stroke risk markers, wider venules [OR 1.7; P = 0.03] and lower HDL [OR 4.8; P = 0.04]. In this group, arteriole narrowing was associated with ΔNE:Cr, Δcortisol and sAA; whilst a wider venule was associated with ΔNE:Cr and sC.
Conclusions: In reaction to depression and low NE:Cr levels, homeostatic reflexes facilitated upregulation of norepinephrine and concurrent downregulation of cortisol. Stress-induced sympathetic nervous system activity however disturbed myogenic tone, neuronal-membrane-integrity and retinal venular widening; increasing the susceptibility for ischemic stroke.
- Open Access
- This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license.
Download article (PDF)
View full text (HTML)
Cite this article
TY - JOUR AU - Leoné Malan AU - Nicolaas Malan AU - Wayne Smith PY - 2018 DA - 2018/12/04 TI - 5.1 STRESS-INDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND THE RETINAL VASCULATURE: THE SABPA PROSPECTIVE STUDY JO - Artery Research SP - 78 EP - 78 VL - 24 IS - C SN - 1876-4401 UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artres.2018.10.048 DO - 10.1016/j.artres.2018.10.048 ID - Malan2018 ER -