Can You “Train” Your Arteries? Assessing the Impact of Exercise Training on Blood Vessel Structure and Function in Health and Disease

Physiology

Dean Maureen MacDonald, McMaster University

March 29, 2019 @ 11:15 am to 12:15 pm

127 Noll Laboratory
University Park

In humans, alterations in peripheral artery structure and function play essential roles in the responses of the cardiovascular system to changing stresses. A person’s activity level contributes to both the structural and functional characteristics of their arteries, and to the capacity of skeletal muscle vascular beds to transport and utilize oxygen. Understanding the regulation of arterial structure and function is highly relevant given that alterations in blood flow have the potential to influence many other physiological processes in humans. Changes have been documented in arterial structure and function along a spectrum of activity levels, ranging from associations with a variety of exercise training programs to various paradigms of inactivity such limb immobilization, bed rest and spinal cord injury. One aspect of my research program has focused on assessing arterial structure and function regulation and adaptation in response endurance, resistance, high intensity interval and isometric handgrip exercise training. These studies have yielded important insights related to the possible labile nature, and regulatory control of some arterial changes with exercise training. In this talk, I will highlight the findings of this work and identify areas for future investigation and applications of past findings in both healthy and clinical populations.

Contact

David Proctor
dnp3@psu.edu
814-863-0724