Cardiovagal Modulation in Young and Older Male Adults Following Acute Aerobic Exercise

Abstract

We compared response patterns of cardiovagal modulation through indices of heart-rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) at 10 and 60 min following an acute bout of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) in active young and older adults. Twelve young (aged 20-40 years) and older (aged 57-76 years) healthy and active male adults performed an isocaloric acute bout of HIIE, MICE, or a non-exercise condition in a randomized order. HRV and BRS indices were analysed offline with R-R intervals obtained from a supine position. HIIE decreased natural logarithm (Ln) standard deviation of NN intervals (d= -0.53; 95% CI: -0.77 to -0.30 ms, p<0.001), Ln-root mean square of successive differences (d= -0.85; 95% CI: -1.09 to -0.61 ms, p<0.001), Ln-high-frequency power (d= -1.60; 95% CI: -2.11 to -1.10 ms2; p<0.001), and BRS (d= -6.28; 95% CI: -8.91 to -3.64 ms/mmHg, p <0.001) following exercise in young and older adults, whereas MICE did not. Indices returned to baseline following 60 min. We found no evidence of age-associated response patterns in HRV or BRS to a single bout of HIIE or MICE in active participants. HIIE reduced cardiovagal modulation in active young and older adults, returning to baseline values 60 min into recovery.

Validity and Reliability of Short-Term Heart Rate Variability Parameters in Older People in Response to Physical Exercise

“…The consistency and reproducibility of HRV measurements in both assessments demonstrated that they accurately captured the autonomic response to the exercise protocol, thus supporting the method's reliability in this population. These findings align with previous research that has demonstrated the efficacy of HRV as a tool for evaluating autonomic function in various populations, including older adults [1,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Using HRV measurements for this purpose could help clinicians identify and monitor individuals at higher risk, leading to earlier interventions and better outcomes.…”

“…The cardiac modulatory effects of ANS can be examined noninvasively through changes in the time intervals between successive R-R intervals in the heart, also known as heart rate variability (HRV) [4]. Moreover, there has been a growing interest in evaluating the HRV response to physical exercise since it reflects a functional autonomic modulation in relation to the active life of people from health to disease [1,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Evidence shows that effort-related cardiovascular reactivity is associated with executive function and physical fitness [14,15].…”