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Influence of Age on Blood Pressure Variability and Baroreceptor Sensitivity in Response to Acute Exercise
Author(s) -
Rosenberg Alexander,
Kappus Rebecca,
Bunsawat Kanokwan,
Shafer Brooke,
Wee SangOuk,
Baynard Tracy,
Fernhall Bo
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.lb672
Subject(s) - blood pressure , baroreceptor , medicine , cardiology , heart rate , baroreflex , prehypertension , forearm , surgery
Aging and depressed spontaneous baroreceptor sensitivity (sBRS) and blood pressure variability (BPV) have been linked to negative cardiovascular outcomes. Understanding the interaction between aging and acute exercise responses on these parameters can lend important insight towards neurovascular regulation. Our purpose was to understand if aging modifies BPV and sBRS responses to acute exercise. Beat‐to‐beat arterial blood pressure and heart rate were obtained in healthy young (n=39; 27 ± 4 yrs) and older adults (n=31; 60 ± 4 yrs) at rest and during a 5‐min dynamic handgrip exercise at 10% and 20% of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Natural log‐transformation was performed on low frequency BPV (LnBPV) and sBRS (LnsBRS) to account for non‐normal distribution. Compared with younger adults, older adults exhibited higher systolic blood pressure at rest and in response to both exercise intensities (p<0.05). The older adults exhibited lower sBRS at rest and during both exercise conditions (p<0.05). No group differences were found on BPV at any time point. In conclusions, dynamic forearm exercise produced little change in heart rate but a substantial increase in blood pressure among the older group. The larger increase in blood pressure in the older group, despite similar changes in sBRS and heart rate with exercise, suggest an age‐related resetting of baroreflex function.