Abstract
The cerebral blood flow response to high‐intensity interval training (HIIT) remains unclear. HIIT induces surges in mean arterial pressure (MAP), which could be transmitted to the brain, especially early after exercise onset. The aim of this study was to describe regional cerebral blood velocity changes during and following 30 s of high‐intensity exercise. Ten women (age: 27 ± 6 years; VO2max: 48.6 ± 3.8 ml·kg·min−1) cycled for 30 s at the workload reached at V˙O2max followed by 3min of passive recovery. Middle (MCAvmean) and posterior cerebral artery mean blood velocities (PCAvmean; transcranial Doppler ultrasound), MAP (finger photoplethysmography), and end‐tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure (PETCO2; gaz analyzer) were measured. MCAvmean (+19 ± 10%) and PCAvmean (+21 ± 14%) increased early after exercise onset, returning toward baseline values afterward. MAP increased throughout exercise (p < .0001). PETCO2 initially decreased by 3 ± 2 mmHg (p < .0001) before returning to baseline values at end‐exercise. During recovery, MCAvmean (+43 ± 15%), PCAvmean (+42 ± 15%), and PETCO2 (+11 ± 3 mmHg; p < .0001) increased. In young fit women, cerebral blood velocity quickly increases at the onset of a 30‐s exercise performed at maximal workload, before returning to baseline values through the end of the exercise. During recovery, cerebral blood velocity augments in both arteries, along with PETCO2.
Highlights
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a popular method of training, to optimize performance in athletes and within a context of rehabilitation in various clinical populations
One participant was excluded from the high-intensity exercise bout analysis, because of inconsistency in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) recording, and we were unable to measure PCAvmean in two participants
During recovery and compared to baseline values, MCAvmean and PCAvmean progressively increased by 43 ± 15% (44 ± 9 s following the end of exercise) and by 42 ± 15% (48 ± 7 s following the end of exercise), respectively (ANOVA time effect p < .0001; Table 2)
Summary
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a popular method of training, to optimize performance in athletes and within a context of rehabilitation in various clinical populations. HIIT procures similar or even superior beneficial metabolic and cardiovascular adaptations in untrained individuals, athletes, and clinical populations. Cardiovascular risk does not seem to be superior during HIIT compared to MICT in patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure, systemic hypertension, obesity, or with the metabolic syndrome (Weston, Wisloff, & Coombes, 2014; Wewege, Ahn, Yu, Liou, & Keech, 2018). Repetitive, rapid, and important elevations in blood pressure (BP) induced by short bouts of high-intensity exercise could be transmitted to the brain vasculature, which in turn may elevate the risk of cerebral hyperperfusion injury (Bailey et al, 2011; Phillips et al, 2018)
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