Abstract
Chronic dynamic (aerobic) exercise decreases central arterial stiffness, whereas chronic resistance exercise evokes the opposite effect. Nevertheless, there is little information available on the effects of acute bouts of exercise. Also, there is limited data showing an increase of central arterial stiffness during acute mental stress. This study aimed to determine the effect of acute mental and physical (static and dynamic exercise) stress on indices of central arterial stiffness. Fifteen young healthy volunteers were studied. The following paradigms were performed: (1) 2 min of mental arithmetic, (2) short bouts (20 s) of static handgrip at 20 and 70% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), (3) fatiguing handgrip at 40% MVC and (4) incremental dynamic knee extensor exercise. Central aortic waveforms were assessed using SphygmoCor software. As compared to baseline, pulse wave transit time decreased significantly for all four interventions indicating that central arterial stiffness increased. During fatiguing handgrip there was a fall in the ratio of peripheral to central pulse pressure from 1.69±0.02 at baseline to 1.56±0.05 (P<0.05). In the knee extensor protocol a non-significant trend for the opposite effect was noted. The augmentation index increased significantly during the arithmetic, short static and fatiguing handgrip protocols, whereas there was no change in the knee extensor protocol. We conclude that (1) during all types of acute stress tested in this study (including dynamic exercise) estimated central stiffness increased, (2) during static exercise the workload posed on the left ventricle (expressed as change in central pulse pressure) is relatively higher than that posed during dynamic exercise (given the same pulse pressure change in the periphery).
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Franklin SS, Gustin W, Wong ND, Larson MG, Larson MG, Kannel WB et al. Hemodynamic patterns of age-related changes in blood pressure. The Framingham Heart Study. Circulation 1997; 96: 308–315.
O'Rourke MF, Staessen JA, Vlachopoulos C, Duprez D, Plante GE . Clinical applications of arterial stiffness; definitions and reference values. Am J Hypertens 2002; 15: 426–444.
Vlachopoulos C, Aznaouridis K, Stefanadis C . Clinical appraisal of arterial stiffness: the Argonauts in front of the golden fleece. Heart 2006; 92: 1544–1550.
Laurent S, Boutouyrie P, Asmar R, Gautier I, Laloux B, Guize L et al. Aortic stiffness is an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in hypertensive patients. Hypertension 2001; 37: 1236–1241.
Safar M, Blacher J, Pannier B, Guerin AP, Marchais SJ, Guyonvarc'h PM et al. Central pulse pressure and mortality in end-stage renal failure. Hypertension 2002; 39: 735–738.
Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension. The task force for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). J Hypertens 2007; 25: 1105–1187.
Edwards DG, Lang JT . Augmentation index and systolic load are lower in competitive endurance athletes. Am J Hypertens 2005; 18: 679–683.
Bertovic DA, Waddell TK, Gatzka CD, Cameron JD, Dart AM, Kingwell BA . Muscular strength training is associated with low arterial compliance and high pulse pressure. Hypertension 1999; 33: 1385–1391.
Miyachi M, Kawano H, Sugawara J, Takahashi K, Hayashi K, Yamazaki K et al. Unfavorable effects of resistance training on central arterial compliance: a randomized intervention study. Circulation 2004; 110: 2858–2863.
Sharman JE, McEniery CM, Campbell RA, Coombes JS, Wilkinson IB, Cockcroft JR . The effect of exercise on large artery haemodynamics in healthy young men. Eur J Clin Invest 2005; 35: 738–744.
Kingwell AB, Berry KL, Cameron JD, Jenning JL, Dart AM . Arterial compliance increases after moderate-intensity cycling. Am J Heart Circ Physiol 1997; 273: H2186–H2191.
Naka K, Tweddel A, Parthimos D, Henderson A, Goodfellow J, Frenneaux M . Arterial distensibility: acute changes following dynamic exercise in normal subjects. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2003; 284: H970–H978.
De Van AE, Anton MM, Cook JN, Neidre DB, Cortez—Cooper MY, Tanaka H . Acute effects of resistance exercise on arterial compliance. J Appl Physiol 2005; 98: 2287–2291.
Heffernan KS, Rossow L, Jae SY, Shokumbi HG, Gibson EM, Fernhall B . Effect of single leg exercise on regional arterial stiffness. Eur J Appl Physiol 2006; 98: 185–190.
Vlachopoulos A, Kosmopoulou F, Alexopoulos N, Ioakeimidis N, Siasios G, Stefanadis C . Acute mental stress has a prolonged unfavorable effect on arterial stiffness and wave reflections. Psychosom Med 2006; 68: 231–237.
Wasmund WL, Westerholm EC, Watenpaugh DE, Wasmund SL, Smith ML . Interactive effects of mental and physical stress on cardiovascular control. J Appl Physiol 2002; 92: 1828–1834.
Laughlin MH, Korthuis RJ, Duncker DJ, Bache RJ . Control of blood flow to cardiac and skeletal muscle during exercise.In: Rowell LB, Shepherd JT (eds). Handbook of Physiology.Section 12. Exercise: Regulation and integration of multiple systems Oxford University Press: New York, 1996 pp 705–769.
Janicki SS, Sheriff DD, Robotham JL, Wise RA . Cardiac output during exercise: contributions of the cardiac, circulatory, and respiratory systems. In: Rowell LB, Shepherd JT (eds). Handbook of Physiology, Section 12. Exercise: Regulation and integration of multiple systems. Oxford University Press: New York, 1996 pp 649–704.
Chen CH, Nevo E, Fetics B, Pak PH, Yin GC, Maughan WL et al. Estimation of central aortic pressure waveform by mathematical transformation of radial tonometry pressure. Validation of generalized transfer function. Circulation 1997; 95: 1827–1836.
Van Bortel LM, Duprez D, Starmans-Kool MJ, Safar ME, Giannattasio C, Cockcroft J et al. Clinical applications of arterial stiffness, Task Force III: recommendations for users procedures. Am J Hypertens 2002; 15: 445–452.
Wilkinson IB, Fuchs SA, Jansen IM, Spratt JC, Murray GD, Cockcroft JR et al. Reproducibility of pulse wave velocity and augmentation index measured by pulse wave analysis. J Hypertens 1998; 16: 2079–2084.
Murgo JP, Westerhof N, Giolma JP, Altobelli SA . Aortic input impendance in normal man: relationship to pressure waveforms. Circulation 1980; 62: 105–116.
McEniery CM, Yasmin, Hall IR, Qasem A, Wilkinson IB, Cockcroft JR . Normal vascular aging: differential effects on wave reflection and aortic pulse wave velocity: the Anglo-Cardiff Collaborative Trial (ACCT). J Am Coll Cardiol 2005; 46: 1753–1760.
London G, Guerin A, Pannier B, Marchais S, Benetos A, Safar M . Increased systolic pressure in chronic uremia. Role of arterial wave reflections. Hypertension 1992; 20: 10–19.
Buckberg GD, Fixler DE, Archie JP, Hoffman JI . Experimental subendocardial ischaemia in dogs with normal coronary arteries. Circ Res 1972; 30: 67–81.
Gobel FL, Nordstrom LA, Nelson RR, Jorgensen CR, Wang Y . Rate-pressure product as an index of myocardial oxygen consumption during exercise in patients with angina pectoris. Circulation 1978; 57: 549–556.
Arimoto M, Kijima A, Muramatsu S . Cardiorespiratory response to dynamic and static leg press exercise in humans. J Physiol Anthropol Appl Human Sci 2005; 24: 277–283.
Bland JM, Altman DJ . Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet 1986; 1: 307–310.
Specchia G, de Servi S, Falcone C, Gavazzi A, Angoli L, Bramucci E et al. Mental arithmetic stress testing in patients with coronary artery disease. Am Heart J 1984; 108: 56–63.
Borg GA . Physiological basis of perceived exertion. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1982; 14: 377–381.
Lawrenson L, Poole JG, Kim J, Brown C, Patel P, Richardson RS . Vascular and metabolic response to isolated small muscle mass exercise: effects of age. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2003; 285: H1023–H1031.
Pannier BM, Avolio AP, Hoeks A, Mancia G, Takazawa K . Methods and devices for measuring arterial compliance in humans. Am J Hypertens 2002; 15: 743–753.
Schiffrin E . Vascular stiffening and arterial compliance. Am J Hypertens 2004; 17: 39S–48S.
Franklin SS, Khan SA, Wong ND, Larson MG, Levy D . Is pulse pressure useful in predicting risk for coronary heart disease? The Framingham Heart Study. Circulation 1999; 100: 354–360.
Nurnberger J, Keflioglou-Scheiber A, Opazo Saez AM, Wenzel RR, Philipp T, Schafers RF . Augmentation index is associated with cardiovascular risk. J Hypertens 2002; 20: 2407–2414.
Weber T, Auer J, O' Rourke MF, Kvas E, Lassnig E, Berent R et al. Arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and the risk of coronary artery disease. Circulation 2004; 109: 184–189.
London GM, Blacher J, Pannier B, Guérin AP, Marchais SJ, Safar ME . Arterial wave reflections and survival in end-stage renal failure. Hypertension 2001; 38: 434–438.
Eugene M, Vandewalle H, Bertholon JF, Teillac A . Arterial elasticity and physical working capacity in young men. J Appl Physiol 1986; 61: 1720–1723.
Edwards DG, Schofield RS, Magyari PM, Nichols WW, Braith RW . Effect of exercise training on central aortic pressure wave reflection in coronary artery disease. Am J Hypertens 2004; 17: 540–543.
Miyachi M, Kawano H, Sugawara J, Takahashi K, Hayashi K, Yamazaki K et al. Unfavorable effects of resistance training on central arterial compliance. Circulation 2004; 110: 2858–2863.
Bertovic D, Waddell T, Gatzka C, Cameron J, Dart A, Kingwell B . Muscular strength training is associated with low arterial compliance and high pulse pressure. Hypertension 1999; 33: 1385–1391.
Geleris P, Stavrati A, Boudoulas H . Effect of cold, isometric exercise, and combination of both on aortic pulse in healthy subjects. Am J Cardiol 2004; 93: 265–267.
Reid KF, Conway MA . Haemodynamic determinants of elevated pulse wave velocity during acute isometric handgrip exercise. Ir J Med Sci 2006; 175: 13–19.
De Van AE, Anton MM, Cook JN, Neidre DB, Cortez-Cooper MY, Tanaka H . Acute effects of resistance exercise on arterial compliance. J Appl Physiol 2005; 98: 2287–2291.
Heffernan KS, Collier SR, Kelly EE, Jae SY, Fernhall B . Arterial stiffness and baroreflex sensitivity following bouts of aerobic and resistance exercise. Int J Sports Med 2007; 28: 197–203.
Gray SD, Carlsson E, Staub NC . Site of increased vascular resistance during isometric muscle. Am J Physiol 1967; 213: 683–689.
Lind AR, Taylor SH, Humphreys PW, Kennely BM, Donald KW . The circulatory effects of sustained voluntary muscle contraction. Clin Sci 1964; 27: 229–244.
Hansen J, Jacobsen TN, Amtorp A . The exercise pressor response to sustained handgrip does not augment blood flow in the contracting forearm skeletal muscle. Acta Physiol Scand 1993; 149: 419–425.
Remensnyder JP, Mitchell JH, Sarnoff SJ . Functional sympatholysis during muscular activity. Circ Res 1962; 11: 370–380.
Silver FH, Snowhill PB, Foran DJ . Mechanical behavior of vessel wall: a comparative study of aorta, vena cava, and carotid artery. Ann Biomed Engineer 2003; 31: 793–803.
Shepherd JT . Circulation to skeletal muscle.In: Shepherd JT, Abboud FM (eds). Handbook of Physiology, The cardiovascular system, peripheral circulation and organ blood flow. American Physiological Society: Vethesda MD, 1983 pp 319–370.
Wilkinson IB, Mohammad NH, Tyrrell S, Hall IR, Webb DJ, Paul VE et al. Heart rate dependency of pulse pressure amplification and arterial stiffness. Am J Hypertens 2002; 15: 24–30.
Folkow B . Physiological aspect of the defense and defeat reactions. Acta Physiol Scand Suppl 1997; 640: 34–37.
O'Sallivan SE, Bell C . Training reduces autonomic cardiovascular responses to both exercise-dependent and -independent stimuli in humans. Auton Neurosci 2001; 91: 76–84.
Papaioannou TG, Stamatelopoulos KS, Gialafos E, Vlachopoulos C, Karatzis E, Nanas J et al. Monitoring of arterial stiffness indices by applanation tonometry and pulse wave analysis: reproducibility at low pressures. J Clin Monit Comput 2004; 18: 137–144.
Sharman JE, Lim R, Qasem AM, Coombess JS, Burgess MI, Franco J et al. Validation of a generalized transfer function to noninvasively derive blood pressure during exercise. Hypertension 2006; 47: 1203–1208.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the NIH grants P01 HL077670 (Sinoway), NIH/NCRR grant M01 RR010732 and C06 RR016499 and Pennsylvania Tobacco Settlement Funds—Penn State College of Medicine.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Disclosure/conflict of interest
There are no financial interests relevant to the research or constituting a conflict of interest for any of the authors of this paper.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lydakis, C., Momen, A., Blaha, C. et al. Changes of central haemodynamic parameters during mental stress and acute bouts of static and dynamic exercise. J Hum Hypertens 22, 320–328 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2008.4
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2008.4
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Central and peripheral blood pressure response to a single bout of an exercise session in patients with resistant hypertension
Hypertension Research (2019)
-
A systematic review on the effect of acute aerobic exercise on arterial stiffness reveals a differential response in the upper and lower arterial segments
Hypertension Research (2017)
-
Ambient temperature effect on pulse rate variability as an alternative to heart rate variability in young adult
Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing (2016)
-
Increased pulse wave velocity and augmentation index after isometric handgrip exercise in patients with coronary artery disease
Clinical Hypertension (2015)
-
Impact of acute whole-body cold exposure with concurrent isometric handgrip exercise on aortic pressure waveform characteristics
European Journal of Applied Physiology (2014)