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Conducting Maximal and Submaximal Endurance Exercise Testing to Measure Physiological and Biological Responses to Acute Exercise in Humans
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Handrail support interference in cardiac autonomic modulation adjustments in young adults during maximal exercise
Giovanna Lima de Oliveira1, Adriana Hernandez Marques1, Vanessa Ferrari da Fonseca1
1Research Group of Exercise Medicine (MedEx), Federal University of Parana (UFPR), Padre Camargo Street, 280 - Alto da Gloria, Curitiba, PR, 80060-240, Brazil.
Scientific Reports
|July 10, 2020
Summary
Using a handrail during maximal exercise treadmill testing (ETT) slightly prolongs parasympathetic heart rate (HR) influences. This suggests handrail use may affect cardiac autonomic modulation kinetics during exercise tests.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Exercise Physiology
- Autonomic Nervous System Function
Background:
- Maximal exercise treadmill testing (ETT) is crucial for assessing cardiovascular fitness.
- Understanding cardiac autonomic modulation during ETT is vital for accurate physiological assessment.
- The impact of using handrail support on autonomic responses during ETT requires clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if handrail support during ETT alters cardiac autonomic modulation kinetics.
- To test the hypothesis that handrail use leads to an overestimation of cardiac autonomic dynamics.
- To compare heart rate variability (HRV) during ETT with and without handrail support.
Main Methods:
- Thirty-five healthy undergraduates underwent two maximal ETTs using the Ellestad protocol on separate days.
- One test (T1) included handrail support, while the second (T2) did not.
- Cardiac autonomic function was assessed via heart rate variability (HRV) during rest and both ETTs.
Main Results:
- Peak oxygen uptake (VO2) was estimated 22.4% higher with handrail support (T1 vs. T2).
- Parasympathetic deactivation occurred earlier in the non-handrail test (T2).
- High-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) heart rate variability components showed significant differences between T1 and T2, with LF-VO2 association persisting longer in T1.
Conclusions:
- Handrail support during ETT appears to slightly prolong parasympathetic influences on heart rate.
- Using a handrail may lead to an overestimation of autonomic responses during maximal exercise testing.
- These findings highlight the importance of standardized procedures in ETT for accurate autonomic function assessment.
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