Autonomic nervous system control of the heart : endurance exercise training

• Published in: Medicine and science in sports and exercise 1995-10, Vol.27 (10), p.1406-1413
• Main Authors: XIANGRONG SHI, STEVENS, G. H. J, FORESMAN, B. H, STERN, S. A, RAVEN, P. B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Atropine - administration & dosage; Atropine - pharmacology; Autonomic Nervous System - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Volume; Bradycardia - physiopathology; Cholinergic Antagonists; Drug Combinations; Exercise; Follow-Up Studies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heart - physiology; Heart Rate; Humans; Lower Body Negative Pressure; Male; Metoprolol - administration & dosage; Metoprolol - pharmacology; Muscarinic Antagonists - pharmacology; Oxygen Consumption; Parasympathetic Nervous System - drug effects; Parasympatholytics - administration & dosage; Parasympatholytics - pharmacology; Peripheral nervous system. Autonomic nervous system. Neuromuscular transmission. Ganglionic transmission. Electric organ; Physical Education and Training; Physical Endurance; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-1 - drug effects; Receptors, Cholinergic - drug effects; Receptors, Muscarinic - drug effects; Reflex - physiology; Space life sciences; Sympathetic Nervous System - drug effects; Sympatholytics - administration & dosage; Sympatholytics - pharmacology; Tachycardia - physiopathology; Vagus Nerve - drug effects; Vagus Nerve - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0195-9131; 1530-0315
• DOI: 10.1249/00005768-199510000-00009

The purpose of this study was to assess hemodynamic responses to lower body negative pressure (LBNP) to -45 torr with selective cardiac parasympathetic (using atropine sulphate), sympathetic efferent (using metoprolol tartrate), and combined (atropine+metoprolol) blockade prior to and following 8 months of endurance exercise training in eight young men. Training resulted in significant increases of maximal oxygen uptake (27%) and blood volume (16%) and a decrease of baseline heart rate (HR, from 66 +/- 4 to 57 +/- 4 bpm). This training related bradycardia was exclusively determined by an enhanced vagal tone as there was no significant difference in intrinsic HR pre- to post-training and only atropine (pre: 100 +/- 3 vs post: 101 +/- 3 bpm), not metoprolol (pre: 56 +/- 3 vs post: 49 +/- 4 bpm), abolished the HR difference. The reflex tachycardia in the control experiment was significantly diminished following training. However, the increase in HR at LBNP -45 torr between pre- and post-training was similar after either atropine (+13 +/- 2 vs +14 +/- 1 bpm) or metoprolol (+8 +/- 1 vs +8 +/- 1 bpm). Reflex tachycardia was greater during atropine than metoprolol blockade and the sum of the HR increase during selective blockade (21 and 22 bpm) was greater when compared with the control (no blockade, 16 +/- 2 vs 11 +/- 2 bpm). There was no difference pre- to post-training in SV or Qc response to -45 torr LBNP during the control condition. However, selective beta 1-receptor blockade resulted in a greater decrease in SV to -45 torr LBNP post-training compared to pre-training (P < 0.05).