Combat and blast exposure blunt sympathetic response to acute exercise stress in specialised military men

Abstract

Electrodermal activity (EDA)—a measure of electrical skin conductance reflecting (exclusive) sympathetic control of the eccrine sweat gland—holds promise as an indicator of central sympathetic activation. The aim of this study was to determine whether combat and blast exposure modulate the EDA response to acute exercise stress in specialised military men. Fifty‐one men (age M = 36.1, SD = 6.5) participated in this study as part of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operational Health Surveillance System. The EDA complex (i.e., tonic + phasic conductance) was continuously measured throughout a maximal effort, graded exercise test. As expected, exercise stress resulted in measurable, stepwise increases in EDA before tapering at higher exercise intensities. Individuals with more substantial combat exposure and those with blast exposure demonstrated blunted EDA patterns in comparison to their low/nonexposed counterparts. This blunted pattern might imply sub‐optimal sympathetic nervous system function in the exposed cohorts and enhances our knowledge of factors influencing resilience in these men.

Prolonged Extreme Cold Water Diving and the Acute Stress Response During Military Dive Training

“…There is ample data on acute stress response in military personnel undergoing rigorous physical training and mental/ psychological stress (Morgan et al, 2000b;Taylor, et al, 2007b;Castellani et al, 2017;Taylor et al, 2021). Different types of stressors led to varying effects on neuroendocrine responses; however, collectively, stress from interrogation, skydiving, and intense physical training resulted in elevated cortisol and DHEA and depressed testosterone (Morgan, et al, 2000a;Morgan et al, 2001;Morgan et al, 2004;Taylor MK.…”