Grant: CIHR-ICRH Travel Awards - ICRH / Vascular pool

This study assessed the role of the sympathetic (i.e., fight or flight) nervous system on short-term changes in blood flow and blood pressure during stress and recovery from stress in young males and females. In line with our hypotheses, we observed that in males, the peak (i.e., during stress) and nadir (i.e., during recovery) sympathetic outflow were associated with decreases and increases in blood flow that were further coupled with increases and decreases in blood pressure, respectively. However, in females, there was a disconnect between increases and decreases in sympathetic outflow and corresponding changes in blood flow in blood pressure. Taken together, these findings suggest that in females, additional mechanisms are involved in the acute control of blood flow and blood pressure.