Midlife aerobic exercise and dynamic cerebral autoregulation: associations with baroreflex sensitivity and central arterial stiffness
- 14 October 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physiological Society in Journal of Applied Physiology
- Vol. 131 (5), 1599-1612
- https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00243.2021
Abstract
Midlife aerobic exercise may significantly impact age-related changes in the cerebro- and cardiovascular regulations. This study investigated the associations of midlife aerobic exercise with dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA), cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), and central arterial stiffness. Twenty middle-aged athletes (MA) who had aerobic training for >10 years were compared with 20 young (YS) and 20 middle-aged sedentary (MS) adults. Beat-to-beat cerebral blood flow velocity, blood pressure (BP), and heart rate were measured at rest and during forced BP oscillations induced by repeated sit-stand maneuvers at 0.05 Hz. Transfer function analysis was used to calculate dCA and BRS parameters. Carotid distensibility was measured by ultrasonography. MA had the highest peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) among all groups. During forced BP oscillations, MS showed lower BRS gain than YS, but this age-related reduction was absent in MA. Conversely, dCA was similar among all groups. At rest, BRS and dCA gains at low frequency (~0.1 Hz) were higher in the MA compared with MS and YS groups. Carotid distensibility was similar between MA and YS groups, but it was lower in the MS. Across all subjects, VO2peak was positively associated with BRS gains at rest and during forced BP oscillations (r=0.257~0.382, p=0.003~0.050) and carotid distensibility (r=0.428~0.490, p=0.001). Furthermore, dCA gain at rest and carotid distensibility were positively correlated with BRS gain at rest in YS and MA groups (all p<0.05). These findings suggest that midlife aerobic exercise improves central arterial elasticity and BRS which may contribute to CBF regulation through dCA.Keywords
Funding Information
- MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (19K19970)
- HHS | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (K99HL133449)
- HHS | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL102457)
This publication has 65 references indexed in Scilit:
- Correlation of End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide with Arterial Carbon Dioxide in Mechanically Ventilated PatientsArchives of Trauma Research, 2012
- Midlife vascular risk factor exposure accelerates structural brain aging and cognitive declineNeurology, 2011
- Carotid baroreflex control of arterial blood pressure at rest and during dynamic exercise in aging humansAmerican Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2010
- Hemodynamic Correlates of Blood Pressure Across the Adult Age SpectrumJournal of the American College of Cardiology, 2010
- Fundamental relationships between arterial baroreflex sensitivity and dynamic cerebral autoregulation in humansJournal of Applied Physiology, 2010
- Influence of baroreflex-mediated tachycardia on the regulation of dynamic cerebral perfusion during acute hypotension in humansJournal Of Physiology-London, 2010
- Dynamic cerebral autoregulation during repeated squat-stand maneuversJournal of Applied Physiology, 2009
- Cerebral Hemodynamics After Short- and Long-Term Reduction in Blood Pressure in Mild and Moderate HypertensionHypertension, 2007
- Estimation of arterial stiffness, compliance, and distensibility from M-mode ultrasound measurements of the common carotid artery.Stroke, 1994
- Vascular risks of asymptomatic carotid stenosis.Stroke, 1991