Effects of exercise on cardiovascular autonomic regulation

The objective of the present study was to investigate the synchronous relationship between peripheral blood flow and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate at rest compared with exercise and manipulated breathing. Synchronism is a marker for central control mechanisms rather than peripheral control mechanisms. Deviation from synchronicity during exercise compared to rest indicates the use of additional control mechanisms.;Twenty-two volunteers performed three separate five-minute trials: rest, manipulated breathing alone (15 breaths/minute) and exercise/manipulated breathing (30 repetitions/minute; 15 breaths/minute) conditions. During each trial heart rate, blood pressure and peripheral blood flow were continuously recorded in the time domain. We evaluated the synchronism of peripheral blood flow with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate with each treatment condition in the low frequency (0.1 Hz) and high frequency (∼0.25 Hz) spectral ranges. Peripheral blood flow fluctuations were coherent with those obtained in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate within the low frequency and high frequency spectral components and across all treatment conditions. Peripheral blood flow fluctuations led in changes in heart rate and blood pressure in the low frequency and high frequency band. This suggests that peripheral blood flow is predominantly under central control despite influences imposed by manipulated breathing and the combined effects of exercise/manipulated breathing. Additionally, when the dependent variables were grouped, the manipulated breathing condition preceded changes in both rest and exercise/manipulated breathing conditions demonstrating parasympathetic dominance and fast vagal changes. While the exercise/manipulated breathing condition lagged behind both rest and manipulated breathing conditions demonstrating sympathetic dominance and slow sympathetic changes.