The Influence of Sex, Fitness, BMI, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors on Cerebral Blood Velocity Responsiveness to Graded Exercise Testing in Middle-Aged Adults.

Mean middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv) and the pulsatility index (PI), at rest and in response to exercise, are important markers of cerebrovascular health status in middle-aged adults, when vascular decline assumes substantial relevance. Thus, this study aimed to describe and compare the responses of MCAv and PI to incremental exercise. Two hundred and forty-eight volunteers (50-58 years, 55% women) completed a ramp test on a cycle-ergometer.

Exploring concussion prevalence, knowledge and reporting behaviours in women playing rugby union in the United Kingdom.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to capture information regarding concussion prevalence, knowledge, and reporting behaviors in women rugby players across all competitive levels in the UK. We also investigated whether these outcomes were influenced by the prevailing concussion awareness programme (HEADCASE).

Measures: Two hundred and thirty players from elite (Premiership), Championship, British Universities, and College Sport and club level completed ( = 133) or partially completed ( = 97) a mixed-methods online questionnaire.

The therapeutic role of exercise training during menopause for reducing vascular disease.

Menopause marks a major milestone in female reproductive ageing. It is characterized by the cessation of ovarian function and a concomitant decline in hormones such as oestradiol. Subsequently, females undergoing menopausal transition experience a progressive increase in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease risk.

The relationships between age, sex, and exercise intensity on cerebral artery hemodynamics during isometric handgrip exercise.

Age and sex may alter the cerebral blood flow (CBF) responses to acute isometric exercise, via associated elevations in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and sympathetic activation. Our aim was to determine the relationships between age, sex, and exercise intensity on cerebrovascular responses to isometric handgrip exercise. In 78 healthy adults (18-80 yr, = 42 females), cerebrovascular responses were assessed during 2-min isometric exercise bouts at three intensities [15, 30, 45% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC)].

Middle cerebral artery blood velocity and end-tidal carbon dioxide responses to moderate intensity cycling in children, adolescents, and adults.

This study investigated the middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAv) response to constant work-rate moderate-intensity cycling exercise in 21 children (9.3 ± 0.8 yr), 17 adolescents (12.

Neurovascular coupling methods in healthy individuals using transcranial doppler ultrasonography: A systematic review and consensus agreement.

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the perturbation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) to meet varying metabolic demands induced by various levels of neural activity. NVC may be assessed by Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD), using task activation protocols, but with significant methodological heterogeneity between studies, hindering cross-study comparisons. Therefore, this review aimed to summarise and compare available methods for TCD-based healthy NVC assessments.

Relationship of Body Composition With Middle Cerebral Artery Hemodynamic Using Compositional Data Analysis in Middle-Age Adults From Toledo Study for Healthy Aging.

Excess adipose tissue may promote chronic systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, causing endothelial damage. Early evidence indicates that obesity may be associated with poorer cerebral perfusion. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body composition and cerebral hemodynamics.

Remote and local effects of ischemic preconditioning on vascular function: a case for cumulative benefit.

Brief, repeated cycles of limb ischemia and reperfusion [ischemic preconditioning (IPC)] can protect against vascular insult. Few papers have considered the effect of IPC on resting vascular function, and no single study has simultaneously considered the local (trained arm) and remote (untrained arm) effects of a single session of IPC and following repeated sessions. We determined macrovascular [allometrically scaled flow-mediated dilation (FMD)] and microvascular [cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC)] function in healthy adults before, immediately post, 20 min post, and 24 h post a single session of IPC (4 × 5 min of single arm ischemia).

The Influence of Acute Hypoxia on Oxygen Uptake and Muscle Oxygenation Kinetics During Cycling Exercise in Prepubertal Boys.

Purpose: To examine the effect of normobaric hypoxia on pulmonary oxygen uptake (V˙O2) and muscle oxygenation kinetics during incremental and moderate-intensity exercise in children.

Methods: Eight prepubertal boys (9-11 y) performed incremental cycle tests to exhaustion in both normoxia and hypoxia (fraction of inspired O2 of 15%) followed by repeat 6-minute transitions of moderate-intensity exercise in each condition over subsequent visits.

Results: Maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2max) was reduced in hypoxia compared with normoxia (1.

Associations of between- and within-day patterns of physical activity accumulation with arterial stiffness and indices of microvascular health-Evidence from The Maastricht study.

While physical activity (PA) is understood to promote vascular health, little is known about whether the daily and weekly patterns of PA accumulation associate with vascular health. Accelerometer-derived (activPAL3) 6- or 7-day stepping was analyzed for 6430 participants in The Maastricht Study (50.4% women; 22.

Association between arterial health and cognition in adolescents: The PANIC study.

We investigated the associations of the measures of arterial health with cognition in adolescents and whether physical activity (PA) or sedentary time (ST) confounds these associations. One hundred sixteen adolescents (71 boys) aged 15.9 ± 0.

The effects of partial sleep restriction and subsequent caffeine ingestion on neurovascular coupling.

Habitual poor sleep is associated with cerebrovascular disease. Acute sleep deprivation alters the ability to match brain blood flow to metabolism (neurovascular coupling [NVC]) but it is not known how partial sleep restriction affects NVC. When rested, caffeine disrupts NVC, but its effects in the sleep-restricted state are unknown.

The utility of the reperfusion rate of tissue oxygen saturation as a measure of vascular endothelial function in adolescents: reliability, validity and sensitivity.

The near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-derived reperfusion rate of tissue oxygen saturation (slope 2 StO) may provide a surrogate measure of vascular function, however, this has yet to be examined in a paediatric population. This study investigated in adolescents: 1) the between-day reliability of NIRS-derived measurements; 2) the relationship between slope 2 StO and macro- (flow-mediated dilation, FMD) and microvascular (peak reactive hyperaemia, PRH) function; and 3) the effect of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on slope 2 StO, FMD, and PRH. Nineteen boys (13.

Agreement between left and right middle cerebral artery blood velocity responses to incremental and constant work-rate exercise in healthy males and females.

To quantify the agreement between left and right middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAv) responses to incremental and constant work-rate exercise in adults.Seventeen healthy adults (23.8 ± 2.

Resistance exercise acutely elevates dynamic cerebral autoregulation gain.

Dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) describes the regulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in response to fluctuations in systemic blood pressure (BP). Heavy resistance exercise is known to induce large transient elevations in BP, which are translated into perturbations of CBF, and may alter dCA in the immediate aftermath. This study aimed to better quantify the time course of any acute alterations in dCA after resistance exercise.

Associations of habitual physical activity and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

The aim of this review was to understand the association between habitual physical activity (hPA) and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) in an ostensibly healthy adult population. Searches were performed in MEDLINE Web of Science, SPORTDiscus and CINAHL databases published up to 01/01/2022 (PROSPERO, Registration No: CRD42017067159). Observational English-language studies assessing the relationship between cfPWV and hPA (measured via self-report or device-based measures) were considered for inclusion in a narrative synthesis.

Sex modifies the relationship between age and neurovascular coupling in healthy adults.

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the matching between local neuronal activity and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), but little is known about the effects of age and sex on NVC. This study aimed to investigate the relationships and interaction between age and sex on NVC. Sixty-four healthy adults (18-85 years, N = 34 female) completed a visual stimulus evoked NVC assessment to a flashing checkerboard.

The effect of 4 weeks of high-intensity interval training and 2 weeks of detraining on cardiovascular disease risk factors in male adolescents.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? What is the effect of 4 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and 2 weeks of detraining on vascular function and traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in male adolescents? What is the main finding and its importance? Four weeks of HIIT improved macrovascular function in adolescents. However, this training period did not measurably change microvascular function, body composition or blood biomarkers. Following 2 weeks of detraining, the improvement in flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was lost.

Cerebral blood flow regulation is not acutely altered after a typical number of headers in women footballers.

Background: The repeated act of heading has been implicated in the link between football participation and risk of neurodegenerative disease, and acutely alters cerebrovascular outcomes in men. This study assessed whether exposure to a realistic number of headers acutely influences indices of cerebral blood flow regulation in female footballers.

Methods: Nineteen female players completed a heading trial and seated control trial on two separate days.

Incorporating movement breaks into primary school classrooms; a mixed methods approach to explore the perceptions of pupils, staff and governors.

Background: Public health guidelines for children advocate physical activity (PA) and the restriction of continuous sedentary time. Schools offer an attractive setting for health promotion, however school-based interventions to increase PA typically fail, and primary school children may spend most of the school day sitting down. Classroom movement breaks have been identified as an attractive opportunity to address this concern and may positively influence behaviour, but little is known about the barriers to implementing movement within lessons from a multi stakeholder perspective.

The relationships between age, sex, and cerebrovascular reactivity to hypercapnia using traditional and kinetic-based analyses in healthy adults.

The effect of age and sex on intracranial and extracranial cerebrovascular function is poorly understood. We investigated the relationships between age, sex, and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) to hypercapnia in 73 healthy adults (18-80 yr, = 39 female). CVR to hypercapnia was assessed in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) using transcranial Doppler ultrasound and at the internal carotid artery (ICA) using duplex ultrasound.

The acute effect of exercise intensity on peripheral and cerebral vascular function in healthy adults.

The acute effect of exercise intensity on cerebrovascular reactivity and whether this mirrors changes in peripheral vascular function have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to explore the acute effect of exercise intensity on cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and peripheral vascular function in healthy young adults ( = 10, 6 females, 22.7 ± 3.

The effect of exercise intensity and cardiorespiratory fitness on the kinetic response of middle cerebral artery blood velocity during exercise in healthy adults.

The aim of this study was to compare the kinetic response of middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAv) to moderate- and heavy-intensity cycling in adults, and explore the relationship between maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o) and MCAv kinetics. Seventeen healthy adults (23.8 ± 2.

School-based high-intensity interval training programs in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: 1) To investigate the effectiveness of school-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT) interventions in promoting health outcomes of children and adolescents compared with either a control group or other exercise modality; and 2) to explore the intervention characteristics and process outcomes of published school-based HIIT interventions.

Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science from inception until 31 March 2021. Studies were eligible if 1) participants aged 5-17 years old; 2) a HIIT intervention within a school setting ≥ 2 weeks duration; 3) a control or comparative exercise group; 4) health-related, cognitive, physical activity, nutrition, or program evaluation outcomes; and 5) original research published in English.