Background. It is still unclear whether the low-frequency oscillation in heart rate is generated by an endogenous neural oscillator or by a baroreflex resonance. Our aim was to investigate this issue by analyzing blood pressure and heart rate variability and the baroreflex function in paraplegic subjects with spinal cord injury below the fourth thoracic vertebra. These subjects were selected because they represent a model of intact central neural drive to the heart, with a partially impaired autonomic control of the vessels Methods and results. Arterial blood pressure and ECG were recorded in 33 able-bodied controls and in 33 subjects with spinal cord lesion between the fifth thoracic and the fourth lumbar vertebra: 1) during supine rest (lowest sympathetic activation); 2) sitting on the wheelchair (light sympathetic activation); and 3) during exercise (moderate sympathetic activation). Blood-pressure and heart-rate spectra, coherence, and baroreflex function (sequence technique), were estimated in each condition. Compared to controls, paraplegics showed a reduction of the low-frequency power of blood pressure and heart rate and, unlike controls, a 0.1-Hz peak did not practically appear in their spectra. Sympathetic activation increased the 0.1 Hz peak of blood pressure and heart rate and the coherence at 0.1 Hz in controls only. Paraplegic subjects also had significantly lower baroreflex effectiveness and greater blood pressure variability. Conclusions. The disappearance of the ten-seconds oscillation of heart rate and blood pressure in subjects with spinal cord lesion supports the hypothesis of the baroreflex nature of this phenomenon.