This project is concerned with experimental differentiation of cardiopulmonary deficits associated with aging versus pathophysiology. One set of projects involves the application of an abdominal breathing task to the study of and intervention in selected pulmonary disorders. A study during the past year focused on the abilities of opera singers, wind instrumentalists, and other opera company members, to self-control abdominal breathing as evidence for the effects of training in retarding deterioration of pulmonary function with age. Another project assesses the utility of Doppler technology in studies of the effects of aging on cardiac functions. Work over the past year has shown that the Doppler index of cardiac stroke volume varies inversely with heart rate changes as subjects assume recumbent sitting and standing postures, respectively. Together, these studies define age-related cardiopulmonary function changes associated with training influences versus disease.
