Effect of hyperthermia-induced hyperventilation on central fatigue during exercise in heat

Abstract

Exercise endurance is reduced by heat. Among several factors that influence exercise performance is central fatigue, which appears to be caused by an increase in brain temperature. During prolonged exercise in heat, the core body temperature rises, and there is a corresponding and proportional increase in minute ventilation. It has been suggested that this hyperthermia-induced hyperventilation is related to central fatigue. Although hyperthermiainduced hyperventilation may have some relationship to heat-dissipating responses, it differs in several ways. For example, hyperthermia-induced hyperventilation causes a reduction in arterial CO 2 pressure, which makes it different from thermal panting in animals. In fact, it has been suggested that hyperthermia-induced hyperventilation causes a reduction in cerebral perfusion, which reinforces the increase in brain temperature during exercise. This short review presents an overview of the characteristics of hyperthermia-induced hyperventilation and its effect on central fatigue.