Contrasting open-loop dynamic characteristics of sympathetic and vagal systems during baroreflex-mediated heart rate control in rats

Abstract

Although heart rate (HR) is governed by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, a head-to-head comparison of the open-loop dynamic characteristics of the total arc from a baroreceptor pressure input to the HR response has yet to be performed. We estimated the transfer function from carotid sinus pressure input to the HR response (HCSP¡HR) before and after bilateral vagotomy (n = 7) as well as before and after the administration of a β-blocker propranolol (n = 8) in anesthetized male Wistar-Kyoto rats. The carotid sinus pressure was perturbed according to a Gaussian white noise signal so that the input power spectra were relatively flat between 0.01 and 1 Hz. The gain plot of HCSP¡HR was V-shaped. Vagotomy reduced the dynamic gain at 1 Hz (0.0598 ± 0.0065 to 0.0025 ± 0.0004 beats·min-1·mmHg-1, P < 0.001) but not at 0.01 or 0.1 Hz. β-Blockade reduced the dynamic gain at 0.01 Hz (0.247 ± 0.069 to 0.077 ± 0.017 beats·min-1· mmHg-1, P = 0.020) but not at 0.1 or 1 Hz. We also estimated the efferent limb transfer function from electrical vagal efferent stimulation to the HR response (HVN¡HR) under β-blockade conditions. We associated the model parameters of HVN¡HR with the mean HR and the standard deviation of HR so that HVN¡HR could be estimated based only on the HR data. We finally estimated the neural arc transfer function from a pressure input to efferent vagal nerve activity by dividing HCSP¡HR by HVN¡HR. The mathematically determined vagal neural arc showed derivative characteristics with its phase near zero radians at the lowest frequency.