Comparison of regional skeletal muscle tissue oxygenation in college athletes and sedentary control subjects using quantitative BOLD MR imaging

Abstract

Blood oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging permits noninvasive assessment of tissue oxygenation. We hypothesized that BOLD imaging would allow for regional evaluation of differences in skeletal muscle oxygenation between athletes and sedentary control subjects, and dynamic BOLD responses to ischemia (i.e., proximal cuff occlusion) and reactive hyperemia (i.e., rapid cuff deflation) would relate to lower extremity function, as assessed by jumping ability. College football athletes (linemen, defensive backs/wide receivers) were compared to sedentary healthy controls. BOLD signal of the gastrocnemius, soleus, anterior tibialis, and peroneus longus was assessed for peak hyperemic value (PHV), time to peak (TTP), minimum ischemic value (MIV), and time to recovery (TTR). Significantly higher PHVs were identified in athletes versus controls for the gastrocnemius (linemen, 15.8 ± 9.1%; defensive backs/wide receivers, 17.9 ± 5.1%; controls, 7.4 ± 3.5%), soleus (linemen, 25.9 ± 11.5%; backs/receivers, 22.0 ± 9.4%; controls, 12.9 ± 5.8%), and anterior tibialis (linemen, 12.8 ± 5.3%; backs/receivers, 12.6 ± 3.9%; controls, 7.7 ± 4.0%), whereas no differences in PHV were found for the peroneus longus (linemen, 14.1 ± 6.9%; backs/receivers, 11.7 ± 4.6%; controls, 9.0 ± 4.9%). In all subject groups, the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles exhibited the lowest MIVs during cuff occlusion. No differences in TTR were found between muscles for any subject group. PHV of the gastrocnemius muscle was significantly and positively related to maximal vertical (r = 0.56, P = 0.002) and broad jump (r = 0.47, P = 0.01). These results suggest that BOLD MR imaging is a useful noninvasive tool for evaluating differences in tissue oxygenation of specific muscles between active and sedentary individuals, and peak BOLD responses may relate to functional capacity.

Dynamic characteristics of T2*-weighted signal in calf muscles of peripheral artery disease during low-intensity exercise

“…According to our inclusion criteria, the participants in the healthy group were normotensive and nonsmokers. As previously reported, activity level could impact ‐weighted signal, and our healthy subjects were recreationally active who exercised regularly (mostly walk or bike) but not competitive athletes. Their height, weight, and body mass index were within normal limits, and their ABI was between 1.0 and 1.4.…”

Simultaneous Measurement of Perfusion and T2* in Calf Muscle at 7T with Submaximal Exercise using Radial Acquisition

“…This can also be attributed to the fact that two competing factors, increase in flow and oxygen extraction to meet increased metabolic demand due to exercise [32][33][34] , and rapid decrease in partial oxygen pressure in active muscle 35 contribute to the T 2 * weighted signal change 36 . Also, activity level can www.nature.com/scientificreports www.nature.com/scientificreports/ impact T 2 * weighted signal 37 and T 2 * weighted signal represents all potential contributions to signal loss, including T 1 effects, T 2 effects and magnetic field inhomogeneities. Following exercise, the perfusion in activated muscle is increased which also affects local blood volume, which is expected to have pronounced effect on BOLD signal.…”

Cardiovascular aging and the microcirculation of skeletal muscle: using contrast-enhanced ultrasound

“…CEUS is a relatively noninvasive, comprehensive, and promising tool that can, we propose, advance investigations into the skeletal muscle microvasculature, particularly in the context of aging, exercise, and disuse. While there are no standardized methodologies associated with the assessment of skeletal muscle perfusion, the present available assessments (Table 1) are limited to surrogate measures, such as conduit artery structure and function, that do not differentiate between the skin, skeletal muscle, and microvasculature (30) or expensive but innovative techniques such as blood oxygen leveldependent magnetic resonance imaging (19,34). Future studies examining the effectiveness of interventions to enhance microvascular function in aging and populations with reduced microvascular function, such as those with diabetes or peripheral artery disease, are needed.…”