DAILY EXERCISE DOES NOT ALTER CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW REGULATION DURING TILT IN OLDER ADULTS AFTER TWO WEEKS OF BEDREST

Abstract

Abstract Bedrest is associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular changes that are linked to a greater prevalence of orthostatic intolerance; however, much of what we know from bedrest trials comes from young adults. How older adults respond to extended periods of activity restriction is not well understood. The current work tested the hypothesis that impaired control of cerebral blood flow in older adults following bedrest could be attenuated by regular exercise. Twenty-two older adults (55-65 years, 11 women) participated in a randomized controlled trial involving 14 days of continuous 6-degree head-down bedrest. The cohort was randomized to an exercise intervention (EX), involving daily aerobic, high-intensity interval, and resistance training, or a control group (CON), involving passive manual therapy. Cerebral blood flow velocity, cardiac output, and arterial blood pressure were measured continuously during a passive 80-degree head-up tilt protocol for up to 15 minutes. Responses in the cerebral and peripheral vascular beds were quantified by vascular resistance (cerebral: resistance area product (RAP); peripheral: total peripheral resistance (TPR)). Following bedrest, both supine RAP and TPR were elevated (p< 0.01), with no effect of exercise training. In addition, the number of participants who could not complete 15 minutes of tilt increased from 3 to 15 (8 EX, 7 CON). In these non-finishers, RAP dropped ~20% and TPR dropped ~15% during the final 2 minutes of tilt, with no difference between groups. These data suggest that multimodal exercise training is insufficient to prevent changes in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular regulation in older adults observed during 14-day bedrest.