Exercise-training-induced changes in metabolic capacity with age: the role of central cardiovascular plasticity

Abstract

Although aging is typically associated with a decline in maximal oxygen consumption (VO 2max ), young and old subjects, of similar initial muscle metabolic capacity, increased quadriceps VO 2max equally when this small muscle mass was trained in isolation. As it is unclear if this preserved exercise-induced plasticity with age is still evident with centrally challenging whole body exercise, we assessed maximal exercise responses in 13 young (24±2 years) and 13 old (60± 3 years) males, matched for cycling VO 2max (3.82±0.66 and 3.69±0.30 L min −1 , respectively), both before and after 8 weeks of high aerobic intensity cycle exercise training. As a consequence of the training both young and old significantly improved VO 2max (13±6 vs. 6± 7 %) and maximal power output (20±6 vs. 10±6 %, respectively) from baseline, however, the young exhibited a significantly larger increase than the old. Similarly, independently assessed maximal cardiac output (Q max ) tended to increase more in the young (16 ±14 %) than in the old (11±12 %), with no change in a-vO 2 difference in either group. Further examination of the components of Q max provided additional evidence of reduced exercise-induced plasticity in both maximal heart rate (young −3 %, old 0 %) and stroke volume (young 19± 15, old 11± 11 %) in the old. In combination, these findings imply that limited central cardiovascular plasticity may be responsible, at least in part, for the attenuated response to whole body exercise training with increasing age.

Relationship between skeletal muscle mass and cardiac function during exercise in community‐dwelling older adults

“…Peak VO 2 /HR strongly correlates with peak stroke volume, and therefore, it is considered an index of SV. Moreover, it was previously reported that peak AVO 2 diff did not change after exercise training in either the young or in older adults . Based on the Fick principle and this previous report, our results suggest that a reduction in SMI is one of the most important factors affecting the deterioration of peak SV.…”

Altered left ventricular performance in aging physically active mice with an ankle sprain injury

“…Of note, fractional shortening was different between groups throughout the lifespan (ATFL/CFL and SHAMSED vs. CFL and SHAM) primarily due to alterations to LV EDD. The greater LV EDD and FS of these mice are most likely the result of the greater exercise activities of these mice, resulting in the common central cardiovascular response of volume-overload hypertrophy to regular aerobic exercise (Ehsani et al 2003;Rodeheffer et al 1984;Seals et al 1994;Wang et al 2014). Thus, FS and LV EDD were increased in these mice, through the use of the Frank-Starling effect, suggestive of a greater stroke volume.…”

A comprehensive cardiovascular disease risk profile in patients with schizophrenia

“…Although encouragement was given to the patients to continue their test to exhaustion, psychological factors may certainly explain their ~10% lower HR peak compared to the healthy references. However, it is possible that their untrained status may have led to a physiological impairment and lower HR peak , as observed with, for example, advancing age . Moreover, it could also be explained by the use of second‐generation antipsychotics, such as clozapine, which increases adrenergic activity and heart rate during rest and may cause autonomous dysregulation .…”