Mental stress significantly increased mean arterial pressure and heart rate (P<0.001), whereas emotional stress from negative pictures did not, and neither condition altered MSNA.
RCT (n=18)
Randomized order of trials
Does emotional stress evoked by negative pictures increase cardiovascular and sympathetic neural responses compared to neutral pictures in healthy men?
Mental stress, but not emotional stress from negative pictures, elicits robust increases in heart rate and blood pressure, and perceived stress levels do not appear to modulate muscle sympathetic nerve activity.
p-value: p=<0.001
Sympathetic neural responses to mental stress are well documented but controversial, whereas sympathetic neural responses to emotional stress are unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate neural and cardiovascular responses to emotional stress evoked by negative pictures and reexamine the relationship between muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and perceived stress. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), MSNA, and perceived stress levels were recorded in 18 men during three randomized trials: 1) neutral pictures, 2) negative pictures, and 3) mental stress. MAP and HR increased during mental stress (Delta14 +/- 2 mmHg and Delta15 +/- 2 beats/min, P < 0.001) but did not change during viewing of negative or neutral pictures. MSNA did not change during viewing of neutral (Delta1 +/- 1 burst/min, n = 16) or negative (Delta0 +/- 1 burst/min, n = 16) pictures or during mental stress (Delta1 +/- 2 burst/min, n = 13). Perceived stress levels were higher during mental stress (3 +/- 0 arbitrary units) than during viewing negative pictures (2 +/- 0 arbitrary units, P < 0.001). Perceived stress levels were not correlated to changes in MSNA during negative pictures (r = 0.10, P = 0.84) or mental stress (r = 0.36, P = 0.23). In conclusion, our results demonstrate robust increases in MAP and HR during mental stress, but not during emotional stress evoked by negative pictures. Although the influence of mental stress on MSNA remains unresolved, our findings challenge the concept that perceived stress levels modulate MSNA during mental stress.
Carter et al. (Wed,) reported a rct. Mental stress and emotional stress (negative pictures) vs. Neutral pictures was evaluated on Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), and perceived stress levels (p=<0.001). Mental stress significantly increased mean arterial pressure and heart rate (P<0.001), whereas emotional stress from negative pictures did not, and neither condition altered MSNA.