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Maintained cerebrovascular function during post-exercise hypotension

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Abstract

The post-exercise period is associated with hypotension, and an increased risk of syncope attributed to decreases in venous return and/or vascular resistance. Increased local and systemic vasodilators, sympatholysis, and attenuated baroreflex sensitivity following exercise are also manifest. Although resting cerebral blood flow is maintained, cerebrovascular regulation to acute decreases in blood pressure has not been characterized following exercise. We therefore aimed to assess cerebrovascular regulation during transient bouts of hypotension, before and after 40 min of aerobic exercise at 60 % of estimated maximum oxygen consumption. Beat to beat blood pressure (Finometer), heart rate (ECG), and blood velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCAv; transcranial Doppler ultrasound) were assessed in ten healthy young humans. The MCAv-mean arterial pressure relationship during a pharmacologically (i.v. sodium nitroprusside) induced transient hypotension was assessed before and at 10, 30, and 60 min following exercise. Despite a significant reduction in mean arterial pressure at 10 min post-exercise (−10 ± 6.9 mmHg; P < 0.05) and end-tidal PCO2 (10 min post: −2.9 ± 2.6 mmHg; 30 min post: −3.9 ± 3.5 mmHg; 60 min post: −2.7 ± 2.0 mmHg; all P < 0.05), neither resting MCAv nor the cerebrovascular response to hypotension differed between pre- and post-exercise periods (P > 0.05). These data indicate that cerebrovascular regulation remains intact following a moderate bout of aerobic exercise.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada

    Christopher K. Willie, Philip N. Ainslie & Neil D. Eves

  2. Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK

    Chloe E. Taylor

  3. School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Chloe E. Taylor

  4. Cardiovascular Systems Laboratory, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand

    Yu-Chieh Tzeng

Authors
  1. Christopher K. Willie
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  2. Philip N. Ainslie
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  3. Chloe E. Taylor
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  4. Neil D. Eves
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  5. Yu-Chieh Tzeng
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Correspondence to Christopher K. Willie.

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Communicated by Dag Linnarsson.

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Willie, C.K., Ainslie, P.N., Taylor, C.E. et al. Maintained cerebrovascular function during post-exercise hypotension. Eur J Appl Physiol 113, 1597–1604 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-012-2578-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-012-2578-3

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