Central command and the increase in middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity during static arm exercise in women.

We examined the role of central command in static exercise-induced increase in middle cerebral artery mean blood flow velocity (V(MCA)). Eleven young female subjects performed static elbow flexion for 2 min at 30% maximal voluntary contraction without (control exercise; CONT) and with vibrations to the biceps brachii tendon (EX+VIB) in order to reduce the effort needed to maintain the set contraction intensity. The rating of perceived exertion in exercising muscle (Arm RPE) at the end of EX+VIB was lower than that of CONT (mean +/- s.

Perceived exertion is not necessarily associated with altered brain activity during exercise.

Previous studies have investigated the relationship between prefrontal cortex activation and perceived exertion during prolonged exercise. However, the effect of perceived exertion on prefrontal cortex activity is confounded by exercise intensity. Therefore, the changes in prefrontal cortex activity in response to perceived exertion remain unclear.

Transient increase in femoral arterial blood flow to the contralateral non-exercising limb during one-legged exercise.

We studied the effect of exercise intensity and duration on blood flow to the non-exercising leg during one-legged dynamic knee extension. Femoral arterial blood flow (FBF) to the non-exercising leg, blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) were monitored during one-legged dynamic knee extension exercise at 15, 30, and 45% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) in seven healthy females. There was an interaction between exercise intensity and duration for FBF and FVC (P < 0.