Abstract
[Purpose] The relationship of sympathetic nerve activity to pulse wave velocity in healthy adolescents was examined. [Subjects and Methods] Ninety-nine students, 59 males and 40 females (19.0 ± 1.4 years), were recruited for measurement of body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis, arterial stiffness by PWV (brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity), central blood pressure (BP) by the Augmentation Index (AI: defined as a percentage of amplification of late-systole reflected wave to pulse pressure) and autonomic nerve activity by heart rate variability. [Results] PWV in both genders was positively associated with BP; however, there was no correlation between BP and sympathetic nerve activity. Only in males, PWV showed a significant positive correlation with indices of sympathetic nerve activity and an inverse correlation with the index of parasympathetic nerve activity. [Conclusion] Arterial stiffness in males is modulated by increased sympathetic nerve activity, which is independent of BP.
