Women who experience hot flashes are at greater risk for hypertension and other cardiovascular disease. Neurovascular control mechanisms are likely to play an important role in this relationship. As such, these studies are designed to provide a major step forward in understanding the link between hot flashes and neurovascular dysfunction and, by extension, cardiovascular disease in women.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
120
Muscle sympathetic nerve activity will be measured continuously at baseline and in response to sympathoexcitatory stressors, including a Valsalva maneuver, isometric handgrip exercise, a cold pressor test, and stepped hypercapnia.
Sodium nitroprusside, used to test endothelium-independent vasodilation, will be infused through a brachial artery catheter at 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 ug/100ml tissue/min.
Acetylcholine, used to test endothelium-dependent vasodilation, will be infused through a brachial artery catheter at 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 μg/100ml tissue/min
Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota, United States
RECRUITINGCompare microvascular function in women with low and high frequency hot flashes
Change in forearm vascular conductance with intra-arterial drug infusions. Vascular conductance is an index of vascular tone and is assessed using a technique called venous occlusion plethysmography
Time frame: Continuous measurement of vascular conductance during infusion of each drug- 3min at baseline and at each drug dose (~60min total of continuous forearm vascular conductance measurements)
Compare sympathetic function in women with low and high frequency hot flashes
Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity will be directly using a technique called microneurography.
Time frame: Continuous measurement of muscle sympathetic nerve activity at rest and in response to stressors (~75min of continuous data collection once a sympathetic nerve signal is found)
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Terbutaline, a β2-Adrenergic selective agonist, will be infused through a brachial artery catheter at 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 μg/100ml tissue/min.
Norepinephrine, an α-adrenergic vasoconstricting agent, will be infused through a brachial artery catheter at 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 ng/100ml tissue/min