Adverse childhood experiences were associated with reduced resting systolic blood pressure and down-regulation in sympathetic, but not parasympathetic, cardiovascular stress reactivity.
Cross-Sectional (n=118)
Do adverse childhood experiences alter sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiovascular stress reactivity in healthy young women?
Adverse childhood experiences are associated with a down-regulation in sympathetic cardiovascular stress reactivity in adulthood, without altering parasympathetic reactivity.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: After a previous report demonstrated blunted heart rate (HR) reactivity in association with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) Voellmin, A., Winzeler, K., Hug, E., Wilhelm, F. H., Schaefer, V., Gaab, J., … Bader, K. (2015). Blunted endocrine and cardiovascular reactivity in young healthy women reporting a history of childhood adversity. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 51, 58-67. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.09.008 , the present analysis aimed at clarifying the role of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system in this relationship. DESIGN AND METHODS: One hundred eighteen healthy young women provided data on ACEs and underwent psychosocial stress testing. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA, quantified by high-frequency HR variability) were assessed as measures of sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiovascular activity, respectively. A mediation model was calculated to test the indirect effects of ACEs on HR via SBP and RSA. RESULTS: The effect of ACEs on HR reactivity was mediated by SBP reactivity but not by RSA reactivity. ACEs were associated with reduced SBP at rest. CONCLUSIONS: ACEs were associated with down-regulation in a measure of sympathetic but no alteration in a measure of parasympathetic cardiovascular stress reactivity in adulthood. Future research will need to clarify whether this indicates risk or resilience.
Winzeler et al. (Wed,) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy (n=118). Adverse childhood experiences was evaluated on Heart rate reactivity mediated by systolic blood pressure and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Adverse childhood experiences were associated with reduced resting systolic blood pressure and down-regulation in sympathetic, but not parasympathetic, cardiovascular stress reactivity.
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