Table 2.
Highly cited microneurographic studies in the 1980s and 1990s
| Study | Citations | Key Finding(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Somers et al. (1995) | 1,383 | Elevated MSNA and nocturnal BP in patients with obstructive sleep apnea; continuous positive airway pressure decrease MSNA and BP during sleep. |
| Anderson et al. (1991a) | 928 | Infusion of low and high dose of insulin increased MSNA but led to vasodilation of the forearm. |
| Somers et al. (1993) | 840 | Non-REM sleep reduced MSNA from wakefulness, while REM sleep increased MSNA. |
| Converse et al. (1992) | 768 | Elevated MSNA in patients with chronic renal failure. |
| Leimbach et al. (1986) | 674 | Increased MSNA in patients with heart failure. |
| Mark et al. (1985) | 631 | Static handgrip exercise and postexercise muscle ischemia increased MSNA; central command influences MSNA. |
| Pagani et al. (1997) | 605 | Increased level of MSNA were associated with a shift of spectral power toward low-frequency component. |
| Carlson et al. (1993) | 467 | Elevated MSNA, as well as plasma norepinephrine, in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea. |
| Grassi et al. (1995a) | 412 | Elevated MSNA in obese normotensive subjects. |
| Victor et al. (1987a) | 374 | Cold pressor test increased MSNA in graded fashion. |
| Somers et al. (1989) | 371 | Hyperoxic hypercapnia elicits greater increase of MSNA compared with isocapnic hypoxia; combined hypoxia and hypercapnia had additive effect on MSNA. |
| Schobel et al. (1996) | 358 | Preeclampsia was associated with a threefold increase of MSNA compared with normotensive pregnancy. |
| Grassi et al. (1998a) | 352 | Elevated MSNA in subjects with essential hypertension. |
| Narkiewicz et al. (1998) | 338 | Increased MSNA in patients with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea. |
| Narkiewicz et al. (1999) | 334 | MSNA increase during hypoxia was similar in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and controls. |
| Bini et al. (1980) | 327 | Selective activation of sudomotor or vasoconstrictor SSNA through exposure to cold and warm environments. |
| Grassi et al. (1995b) | 325 | Increased MSNA in patients with mild and severe congestive heart failure; reduced sympathetic and cardiovagal baroreflex with congestive heart failure. |
| Wallin et al. (1981) | 321 | Positive correlation between MSNA and plasma norepinephrine in healthy subjects. |
| Ng et al. (1993) | 313 | Sex differences in resting MSNA, with lower levels in women compared with men. |
| Fagius and Wallin (1980) | 306 | Reported mean MSNA latencies in median and peroneal nerve, including some from simultaneous limb recordings. |
| Cooke et al. (1999) | 300 | Head-up tilt altered baroreflex control in a manner that reflected leftward movement of the subjects on the blood pressure and sympathetic/vagal response curves; head-up tilt modified respiratory gating of sympathetic and vagal responses using different strategies |
| Berne et al. (1992) | 289 | Hyperinsulinemia increased MSNA, but not SSNA. |
| Wallin and Sundlöf (1982) | 283 | Onset of syncope was marked by bradycardia and quiescence of MSNA. |
| Vollenweider et al. (1993) | 275 | Hyperinsulinemia euglycemic clamp increased MSNA; fructose infusion increased carbohydrate oxidation but had minor effect on insulinemia and did not alter MSNA. |
| Grassi et al. (1994) | 255 | Cigarette smoking decreased MSNA. |
| Ebert et al. (1992) | 255 | Propofol, a common anesthetic, reduced MSNA and impaired sympathetic and cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity. |
| Somers et al. (1991) | 244 | Baroreflex activation selectively abolished MSNA reactivity to hypoxia but not to hypercapnia or the cold pressor test. |
| Grassi et al. (1998b) | 244 | Weight loss by hypocaloric diet reduced MSNA and plasma norepinephrine in obese normotensive subjects. |
| Spraul et al. (1993) | 229 | Pima Indians had lower MSNA than Caucasians, and MSNA was significantly related to body fat in Caucasians but not Pimas. |
| Wallin et al. (1992) | 230 | Significant positive correlation between MSNA and cardiac norepinephrine spillover. |
| Victor et al. (1987b) | 226 | Nonischemic rhythmic handgrip exercise did not alter MSNA, while ischemic handgrip and moderate arm cycling increased MSNA. |
| Halliwill et al. (1996) | 229 | Baroreflex control of MSNA and sympathetic vascular transduction were altered after dynamic exercise, which likely contributed to postexercise hypotension. |
| Eckberg et al. (1985) | 204 | Respiration altered MSNA and vagal cardiac control; neck pressure was used to modify carotid baroreceptor afferent traffic. |
| Hornyak et al. (1991) | 198 | Light and deep sleep led to reductions of MSNA, while high-amplitude K complexes and REM sleep increased MSNA. |
| Mosqueda-Garcia et al. (1997) | 187 | Patients with neurally medicated syncope had blunted increases of MSNA during tilt, followed by a decrease and disappearance of MSNA during syncope. |
| Dinenno et al. (1999) | 191 | Limb blood flow and vascular conductance were reduced in older adults, and these changes were associated with increased MSNA. |
| Eckberg et al. (1988) | 175 | Stepwise intravenous infusion of phenylephrine and nitroprusside altered MSNA. |
| Macefield et al. (1994) | 176 | Establishment of single-unit recordings of MSNA using modified tungsten microelectrode and analyses. |
| Anderson et al. (1987) | 171 | A dissociation between forearm and leg MSNA during mental stress. |
| Anderson et al. (1992) | 163 | Insulin increased MSNA, but not blood pressure, in borderline hypertensive adults. |
| Carlson et al. (1996) | 156 | Impaired sympathetic baroreflex in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea. |
| Biaggioni et al. (1991) | 151 | Adenosine increased MSNA in a dose-dependent manner, and the increase was greater than nitroprusside. |
SSNA, skin sympathetic nerve activity; MSNA, muscle sympathetic nerve activity; REM, rapid eye movement; BP, blood pressure.