The adaptive cardiovascular reactions of the human diving reflex were studied. The diving reflex was activated by submerging a face in cold water under laboratory conditions. Forty volunteers (aged 18–24) were examined. ECG, arterial blood pressure (ABP) and central blood flow were recorded by the impedance rheography method in resting state, during diving simulation (DS) and after apnea. During DS there is a statistically significant decrease in the dicrotic index (DCI), which reflects a decrease in the resistive vessel tone and as well as diastolic index (DSI), characterizing lung perfusion. A comparison of the latent periods (LP) of an increase in ABP and a drop in DCI showed that a decrease in pulmonary vascular tone develops faster than ABP begins to increase. The LP for lowering DCI is from 0.6 to 10 s; for an increase in ABP — from 6 to 30 s. A short LP for DCI and the absence of a correlation between a decrease in ABP and DCI suggests that a decrease in pulmonary vascular tone during DS occurs reflexively and independently of a change in ABP.

The diving reflex is an oxygen-saving mechanism which is accompanied by apnea, reflex bradycardia development, peripheral vasoconstriction, spleen erythrocyte release, and selective redistribution of blood flow to the organs most vulnerable to lack of oxygen, such as the brain, heart, and lungs. However, this is a poorly studied form of hypoxia, with a knowledge gap on physiological and biochemical adaptation mechanisms. The reflective sympathetic constriction of the resistive vessels is realized via ADRA1A. It has been shown that ADRA1A SNP (p.Arg347Cys; rs1048101) is associated with changes in tonus in vessel walls. Moreover, the Cys347 allele has been shown to regulate systolic blood pressure. The aim of this work was to evaluate whether the ADRA1A polymorphism affected the pulmonary vascular reactions in men and women in response to the diving reflex. Men (n = 52) and women (n = 50) untrained in diving aged 18 to 25 were recruited into the study. The vascular reactions and blood flow were examined by integrated rheography and rheography of the pulmonary artery. Peripheral blood circulation was registered by plethysmography. The ADRA1A gene polymorphism (p.Arg347Cys; rs1048101) was determined by PCR-RFLP. In both men and women, reflective pulmonary vasodilation did occur in response to the diving reflex, but in women this vasodilation was more pronounced and was accompanied by a higher filling of the lungs with blood.. Additionally, ADRA1A SNP (p.Arg347Cys; rs1048101) is associated with sex. Interestingly, women with the Arg347 allele demonstrated the highest vasodilation of the lung vessels. Therefore, our data may help to indicate women with the most prominent adaptive reactions to the diving reflex. Our data also indicate that women and men with the Cys allele of the ADRA1A gene polymorphism have the highest risk of developing lung hypertension in response to the diving reflex. The diving reflex is an oxygen-saving mechanism which is accompanied by apnea, reflex bradycardia development, peripheral vasoconstriction, spleen erythrocyte release, and selective redistribution of blood flow to the organs most vulnerable to lack of oxygen, such as the brain, heart, and lungs. However, this is a poorly studied form of hypoxia, with a knowledge gap on physiological and biochemical adaptation mechanisms.