This is an application to study psychophysiologic stress, exercise, and autonomic control: specifically, the impact of aerobic exercise conditioning on blood pressure variability (BPV) responses to psychological and physical stressors. It is based on a research program which explores the relationships among psychological/behavioral characteristics such as anxiety, hostility, depression, and physical conditioning, the central and autonomic nervous systems, and the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. It derives from a model which holds that autonomic control of the heart serves a buffering or inhibitory function over oscillations in blood pressure, which recent research in vascular biology and dynamics suggests may have pathogenic effects on the endothelium, in the case of atherogenesis, and on plaque stability, in the case of catastrophic cardiac events. Moreover, BPV appears to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease independent of mean arterial pressure. This model suggests that increasing autonomic control of the heart, as measured by heart period variability (HPV), will result in reduced BPV responses to challenge, an effect which we have documented in a small, cross-sectional study of well- and poorly conditioned normal subjects. These findings suggest that one mechanism by which physical exercise promotes reduced risk of heart disease may be through the dampening of BPV responses to challenge and that this dampening is a function of the degree of HPV. While these findings are suggestive, the cross-sectional nature of this study and the small number of subjects limit the conclusions to be drawn. Accordingly, this application proposes a larger, longitudinal study of the effect of aerobic conditioning of BPV responses to challenge and during 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring, using students U.S. Army ROTC Empire Regiment, with headquarters at St. John's University. In this study, sedentary ROTC recruits will be tested for BPV responses to challenge and 24-hour ambulatory BPV both before and after random assignment to either 1) a 16 week program of aerobic conditioning or 2) a 16 week program of strength training only. After the post-training set of tests, all subjects will undergo a period of deconditioning after which they again will be tested. A series of hypotheses will test the impact of aerobic conditioning on autonomic control of the heart, BPV responses to challenge, mood, and BPV throughout the day.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01HL061287-01
Application #
2727430
Study Section
Health Behavior and Prevention Review Committee (HBPR)
Project Start
1998-07-01
Project End
2001-06-30
Budget Start
1998-07-01
Budget End
1999-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Columbia University (N.Y.)
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
167204994
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10032
Alex, Christian; Lindgren, Martin; Shapiro, Peter A et al. (2013) Aerobic exercise and strength training effects on cardiovascular sympathetic function in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial. Psychosom Med 75:375-81
Lindgren, M; Alex, C; Shapiro, P A et al. (2013) Effects of aerobic conditioning on cardiovascular sympathetic response to and recovery from challenge. Psychophysiology 50:963-73
Sloan, Richard P; Shapiro, Peter A; DeMeersman, Ronald E et al. (2011) Impact of aerobic training on cardiovascular reactivity to and recovery from challenge. Psychosom Med 73:134-41
Sloan, Richard P; Shapiro, Peter A; DeMeersman, Ronald E et al. (2009) The effect of aerobic training and cardiac autonomic regulation in young adults. Am J Public Health 99:921-8
Bond, V; Bartels, M N; Sloan, R P et al. (2009) Exercise training favourably affects autonomic and blood pressure responses during mental and physical stressors in African-American men. J Hum Hypertens 23:267-73
Zion, Adrienne S; Bond, Vernon; Adams, Richard G et al. (2003) Low arterial compliance in young African-American males. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 285:H457-62
Zion, Adrienne S; Bartels, Matthew N; Wecht, Jill M et al. (2003) Evaluation of blood pressure and baroreflex sensitivity by radial artery tonometry versus finger arteriolar photoplethysmography. Am J Hypertens 16:371-4
McKinley, Paula S; Shapiro, Peter A; Bagiella, Emilia et al. (2003) Deriving heart period variability from blood pressure waveforms. J Appl Physiol 95:1431-8