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Do metaboreceptors alter heat loss responses following dynamic exercise?
Ryan McGinn1, Brendan Swift, Konrad Binder
1Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Summary
Metaboreceptor activation after exercise reduces skin blood flow and increases sweat rate. Lower body negative pressure further impairs blood flow but not sweating, indicating complex thermoregulation responses.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Thermoregulation
- Cardiovascular Physiology
Background:
- Metaboreceptor activation influences skin blood flow and sweat rate during passive heating.
- The role of metaboreceptors in modulating heat loss suppression after dynamic exercise is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of metaboreceptor activation on cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) and sweat rate (SR) following dynamic exercise.
- To examine the influence of baroreceptor loading via lower body negative pressure (LBNP) on these responses.
Main Methods:
- Eight males performed dynamic exercise in heat (35°C) followed by isometric handgrip (IHG) exercise and/or ischemia (OCC), with or without LBNP.
- Measurements included sweat rate (ventilated capsule), cutaneous blood flow (Laser-Doppler), and mean arterial pressure (Finometer).
Main Results:
- IHG exercise and subsequent ischemia reduced CVC post-exercise, an effect exacerbated by LBNP.
- SR increased during IHG and remained elevated during post-IHG ischemia, with LBNP having no significant effect on SR.
- Metaboreceptor activation reduced CVC and increased SR, while baroreceptor loading influenced CVC but not SR.
Conclusions:
- Metaboreceptor activation following dynamic exercise demonstrably reduces CVC and increases SR.
- Baroreceptor unloading/loading, induced by LBNP during post-exercise ischemia, modulates the CVC response but not the sweating response.
- These findings highlight the complex interplay between metaboreceptors, baroreceptors, and thermoregulatory control during recovery from exercise in the heat.
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