Congratulations to Vaidehi Desai - Masters of Research thesis submitted on the links between blood pressure regulation through the baroreceptors and arterial stiffness

A big congratulations to Vaidehi Desai on submitting her Masters of Research thesis. Vaidehi was tasked with starting an investigation into whether there is an association between the loss of baroreceptor sensitivty with age, and the increase in arterial stiffness with age. Baroreceptors are a proportional control system of our body, sensing blood pressure changes and putting in place mechanisms to reverse those changes. This blood pressure control occurs within seconds of a blood pressure change, but may also be involved in longer term blood pressure control as well.

The potential problem is that the baroreceptor actually sense stretch of the artery wall, not blood pressure. In a healthy body, that is not a problem. As blood pressure increases, the flexible arterial wall stretches, and the baroreceptors are stretched, and blood pressure is controlled. But as we age, our arteries get stiffer. This means that when blood pressure increases, the stiffer artery stretches less, the baroreceptors stretch less, and potentially the baroreceptor control of blood pressure is not as good.

A look at the literature showed that 89% of publications on this topic showed that increased arterial stiffness was associated with a decrease in the sensitivity of the baroreceptors. The problem gets a little more complicated, though. We can’t directly measure arterial stiffness and baroreceptor sensitivity. We can only estimate it. And there are multiple ways of estimating it.

Vaidehi set out on conducting a pilot study using multiple methods of arterial stiffness and baroreceptor function estimation techniques. The results hinted at there being an association, but only through some of the estimation methods. This was only a pilot study though, and a study size of about 100 participants would provide a more definitive result.

I congratulate Vaidehi on putting together this thesis in the short time frame (around 10 months) that is the research period in the Masters of Research at Macquarie University. It has given us a lot to think about, and a much better platform to decide where to take this research next. The thesis is currently under examination. We hope to have it out to the public in the coming months.