Sympathetic and blood pressure reactivity in young adults with major depressive disorder.

Background: Sympathetic and blood pressure (BP) hyper-reactivity to stress may contribute to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD); however, whether this is evident in young adults with MDD without comorbid disease remains unclear. We hypothesized that acute stress-induced increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and BP would be exaggerated in young adults with MDD compared to healthy non-depressed young adults (HA) and that, in adults with MDD, greater symptom severity would be positively related to MSNA and BP reactivity.

Methods: In 28 HA (17 female) and 39 young adults with MDD of mild-to-moderate severity (unmedicated; 31 female), MSNA (microneurography) and beat-to-beat BP (finger photoplethysmography) were measured at rest and during the cold pressor test (CPT) and Stroop color word test (SCWT).

Lower vascular conductance responses to handgrip exercise are improved following acute antioxidant supplementation in young individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Young individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) display peripheral vascular and autonomic nervous system dysfunction, two factors potentially stemming from a redox imbalance. It is currently unclear if these aforementioned factors, observed at rest, alter peripheral haemodynamic responses to exercise in this population. This study examined haemodynamic responses to handgrip exercise in young individuals with PTSD following acute antioxidant (AO) supplementation.

Cardiac autonomic function is preserved in young adults with major depressive disorder.

The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is highest in young adults and contributes to an increased risk of developing future cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The studies examining cardiac autonomic function that have included young unmedicated adults with MDD report equivocal findings, and few have considered the potential influence of disease severity or duration.

Vascular Responses to Passive and Active Movement in Premenopausal Females: Comparisons across Sex and Menstrual Cycle Phase.

Purpose: Adequate, robust vascular responses to passive and active movement represent two distinct components linked to normal, healthy cardiovascular function. Currently, limited research exists determining if these vascular responses are altered in premenopausal females (PMF) when compared across sex or menstrual cycle phase.

Methods: Vascular responses to passive leg movement (PLM) and handgrip (HG) exercise were assessed in PMF ( n = 21) and age-matched men ( n = 21).

High sodium intake differentially impacts brachial artery dilation when evaluated with reactive versus active hyperemia in salt resistant individuals.

This study sought to determine if high sodium (HS) intake in salt resistant (SR) individuals attenuates upper limb arterial dilation in response to reactive (occlusion) and active (exercise) hyperemia, two stimuli with varying vasodilatory mechanisms, and the role of oxidative stress in this response. Ten young, SR participants (9 males, 1 female) consumed a 7-day HS (6,900 mg/day) and a 7-day recommended sodium intake (RI: 2,300 mg/day) diet in a randomized order. On the last day of each diet, brachial artery (BA) function was evaluated via reactive (RH-FMD: 5 min of cuff occlusion) and active [handgrip (HG) exercise] hyperemia after consumption of both placebo (PL) and antioxidants (AO).

Daily Stress and Microvascular Dysfunction: The Buffering Effect of Physical Activity.

Although often short-lived, emotional responsiveness to daily stressors ( i.e. , routine and sometimes unexpected everyday hassles) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD), morbidity, and mortality.

Exaggerated pressor responses, but unaltered blood flow regulation and functional sympatholysis during lower limb exercise in young, non-Hispanic black males.

Purpose: Young non-Hispanic black (BL) males have displayed lower blood flow (BF) and vascular conductance (VC), but intact functional sympatholysis, during upper limb exercise when compared to non-Hispanic white (WH) males. This study sought to explore if similar differences were also present in the lower limbs.

Methods: Thirteen young BL males and thirteen WH males completed one visit comprised of rhythmic lower limb (plantar flexion) exercise as well as upper limb (handgrip) exercise for a limb-specific comparison.

Microvascular β-Adrenergic Receptor-Mediated Vasodilation Is Attenuated in Adults With Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with sympathetic overactivity and alterations in peripheral adrenergic receptor function; however, no studies have directly assessed vasoconstrictor responsiveness in adults with MDD. We tested the hypotheses that β-adrenergic receptor-mediated vasodilation would be blunted in adults with MDD compared with healthy nondepressed adults (HA) and would functionally contribute to exaggerated norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction.

Methods: In 13 HA (8 female; 24±4 years) and in 12 adults with MDD (8 female; 22±3 yrs), red blood cell flux was measured during graded intradermal microdialysis perfusion of the β-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol (10 to 10 mol/L) and, separately, during the perfusion of norepinephrine (10 to 10 mol/L), alone and in combination with the β-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol (2 mmol/L).

Augmented T-cell mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in adults with major depressive disorder.

The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is highest in young adulthood, an effect that has been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, individuals with MDD are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Accumulating evidence supports immune system dysregulation as a major contributor to the elevated CVD risk in older adults with MDD; however, whether this is present in young adults with MDD without comorbid disease remains unclear.

COVID-19-Related Daily Stress Processes in College-Aged Adults: Examining the Role of Depressive Symptom Severity.

Exposure to daily stressors specific to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., threat of infection) is associated with emotional distress, heightened stress reactivity, and increased depressive symptomology.

Cerebrovascular reactivity is blunted in young adults with major depressive disorder: The influence of current depressive symptomology.

Background: In middle-aged adults with depression, cerebral vasodilatory reactivity is blunted; however, this has not been examined in treatment-naïve young adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). We tested the hypothesis that cerebrovascular reactivity would be blunted in young adults (18-30 yrs) with MDD compared to healthy non-depressed adults (HA) and would be attenuated to a greater extent in adults with symptomatic MDD (sMDD) compared to adults with MDD in remission (euthymic MDD; eMDD).

Methods: Sixteen adults with MDD [21±3yrs; n = 8 sMDD (6 women); n = 8 eMDD (5 women)] and 14 HA (22±3yrs; 9 women) participated.

Impact of acute antioxidant supplementation on vascular function and autonomic nervous system modulation in young adults with PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with an increase in risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The goal of this study was to determine if peripheral vascular dysfunction, a precursor to CVD, was present in young adults with PTSD, and if an acute antioxidant (AO) supplementation could modify this potential PTSD-induced vascular dysfunction. Thirteen individuals with PTSD were recruited for this investigation and were compared with 35 age- and sex-matched controls (CTRL).

Examining sex differences in sitting-induced microvascular dysfunction: Insight from acute vitamin C supplementation.

Purpose: Lower limb microvascular dysfunction resulting from prolonged sitting (PS) bouts has been revealed to occur independent of sex. Although acute antioxidant supplementation has been reported to blunt conduit artery dysfunction following PS in young males, it is unknown if this protective effect extends to the microvasculature or is relevant in young females, who possess intrinsic vascular protective mechanisms specific to antioxidant defense. Therefore, this study employed an acute antioxidant supplementation to further examine sex differences during PS with a specific focus on microvascular function.

Aerobic training and vascular protection: Insight from altered blood flow patterns.

New Finding: What is the central question of this study? This study sought to determine whether prior upper limb aerobic training can attenuate the vascular dysfunction resulting from negative alteration of blood flow patterns. What is the main finding and its importance? We demonstrated that the microvasculature of young men with prior upper limb aerobic training (rowing) was equally susceptible to negatively altered blood flow patterns when compared with untrained control subjects. This finding reveals that aerobic training does not provide adequate protection against this type of vascular insult, highlighting the importance of reducing known vascular insults regardless of training status.

Examining Arm Vascular Function and Blood Flow Regulation in Row-trained Males.

Unlabelled: Vascular function and blood flow responses to upper limb exercise are differentially altered in response to different exercise training modalities. Rowing is a unique exercise modality that incorporates the upper limbs and can significantly augment upper limb endurance, strength, and power capacity.

Purpose: This study sought to determine whether vascular function and blood flow regulation during handgrip exercise are altered in row-trained males.