title: The aging cardiovascular system: changes in autonomic function at rest and in response to exercise.
abstract: Tonic vagal modulation of cardiac period (R-R interval) decreases with advancing age, but is greater in middle-aged and older adults who habitually perform aerobic exercise compared with their sedentary peers. Cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity also declines markedly with age in sedentary adults but only 50% as much in regularly exercising adults. In previously sedentary middle-aged and older adults, a 3-month program of moderate aerobic exercise increases cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity by 25%. Tonic (basal) sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity increases with advancing age in both sedentary and habitually exercising adults. Despite this, SNS beta-adrenergic support of energy metabolism (resting metabolic rate--RMR) declines with age in sedentary individuals. However, SNS beta-adrenergic support of RMR is maintained with age in endurance exercise-trained adults and therefore is much greater in middle-aged and older individuals who exercise regularly compared with their sedentary peers. Thus, regular aerobic (endurance) exercise modulates selective age-associated impairments in autonomic nervous system-physiological function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Seals
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Monahan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000502:physiology; D001481:Basal Metabolism; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*