Cardiac Autonomic Modulation Response Before, During, and After Submaximal Exercise in Older Adults With Intellectual Disability.

Manel Font-Farré,Guillermo R Oviedo,Myriam Guerra-Balic,Anielle C De Medeiros Takahashi,Ana Claudia Silva Farche,Arturo Figueroa

doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.702418

Manel Font-Farré, Guillermo R Oviedo + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.702418

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Abstract

The analysis of the heart rate variability (HRV) consists of changes in the time intervals between consecutive R waves. It provides information on the autonomic nervous system regulation and it is a predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. Several studies analyzed this parameter in youth and adults with Intellectual Disability (ID). Nevertheless, there is a lack of information regarding the HRV before, during, and after exercise in older adults with ID. Therefore, we aimed to describe and compare the cardiac autonomic modulation before, during, and after the six-minute walk test (6MWT) in older adults with and without ID. Twenty-four volunteers with ID and 24 without ID (non-ID) participated in this study. HRV was assessed by R-R intervals at rest, during and after the 6MWT. At rest and recovery periods, the participants remained sited. The symbolic analysis was used to evaluate non-linear HRV components. The recovery HR kinetics was assessed by the mean response time, which is equivalent to time constant (τ)+time delay (TD). Between groups differences in HRV variables were not significant. During the recovery period, HR kinetics time variables showed significant better results in non-ID participants (TD: 6±5s vs. 15±11s; τ: 19±10s vs. 35±17s; and MRT: 25±9s vs. 50±11s, all p<0.050). In conclusion, our results suggest that the HRV in older adults with and without ID is similar during rest, exercise, and recovery. Recovery HR kinetics after the 6MWT was slower in older adults with ID. The reason for these results may be a reduced post-exercise vagal rebound in older adults with ID.

Highlights

Persons with intellectual disability (ID) are characterized by having significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and maladaptive behavior, and it originates before the age 22 (Schalock et al, 2021)
The main findings were as: a) during the 6MWT, older adults with ID presented higher HR values than older adults without ID; b) heart rate variability (HRV) before, during, and after 6MWT was similar in both groups; and c) the HR t-off kinetics of the older adults with ID was slower than the group without ID
We investigated cardiac autonomic function responses in seniors with and without ID and its responses during and after submaximal aerobic exercise

Summary

Introduction

Persons with intellectual disability (ID) are characterized by having significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and maladaptive behavior, and it originates before the age 22 (Schalock et al, 2021) This disability may affect the nervous and/or the sensory systems, can cause metabolic and degenerative disorders, and may result in deficits in functioning and HRV, Aging, and Intellectual Disability physical disability (Harris and Greenspan, 2016). The metabolic syndrome is a group of factors that increases the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. These factors are as: insulin resistance, abdominal fat, and atherogenic dyslipidemia, among others (Alberti et al, 2009). The different components of the metabolic syndrome have been related with lower heart rate variability (HRV; Stuckey et al, 2015)

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