Holwerda SW, et al. - In 88 healthy men and women, aged 19–73 years, researchers investigated the relationship between elevated muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) (age-related) and greater stiffness of central (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [PWV]) and peripheral (carotid-brachial PWV) arteries, as well as lower carotid compliance coefficient. They also examined young (n=15, 60% men) and middle-age/older (MA/O, n=14, 43% men) adults in order to determine if central and peripheral artery stiffness in these subjects would be increased by acute rises in MSNA without increases in mean arterial pressure using graded levels of lower body negative pressure. Findings highlighted the impact of MSNA on central artery stiffness. Also, they found that MSNA possibly contributed to age-associated increases in stiffness of both peripheral and central arteries.