Aging and the skin blood flow response to the unloading of baroreceptors during heat and cold stress

2004 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 1019-1025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glaucio Scremin ◽  
W. Larry Kenney

Control of skin blood flow (SkBF) is on the efferent arm of both thermoregulatory and nonthermoregulatory reflexes. To what extent aging may affect the SkBF response when these two reflex systems interact is unknown. To determine the response of aged skin to the unloading of baroreceptors in thermoneutral, cold stress, and heat stress conditions, sequential bouts of nonhypotensive lower body negative pressure (LBNP) were applied at -10, -20, and -30 mmHg in 14 young (18–25 yr) and 14 older (63–78 yr) men. SkBF was measured by laser-Doppler velocimetry (averaged over 2 forearm sites), and data are expressed as percentage of maximal cutaneous vascular conductance (%CVCmax). Total forearm blood flow was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography, and forearm vascular conductance (FVC) was calculated as the ratio of forearm blood flow to mean arterial pressure. In young men, all three intensities of LBNP in thermoneutrality decreased FVC significantly ( P < 0.05), but FVC at -10 mmHg did not change in the older men. There were no significant LBNP effects on %CVCmax. Application of LBNP during cold stress did not significantly change %CVCmax or FVC in either age group. During heat stress, -10 to -30 mmHg of LBNP decreased FVC significantly ( P < 0.05) in both age groups, but these decreases were attenuated in the older men ( P < 0.05). %CVCmax decreased at -30 mmHg in the younger men only. These results suggest that older men have an attenuated skin vasoconstrictor response to the unloading of baroreceptors in heat stress conditions. Furthermore, the forearm vasoconstriction elicited by LBNP in older men reflects that of underlying tissue (i.e., muscle) rather than that of skin, whereas -30 mmHg LBNP also decreases SkBF in young hyperthermic men.

1998 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Kellogg ◽  
S. R. Morris ◽  
S. B. Rodriguez ◽  
Y. Liu ◽  
M. Grossmann ◽  
...  

During dynamic exercise in the heat, increases in skin blood flow are attenuated in hypertensive subjects when compared with normotensive subjects. We studied responses to passive heat stress (water-perfused suits) in eight hypertensive and eight normotensive subjects. Forearm blood flow was measured by venous-occlusion plethysmography, mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured by Finapres, and forearm vascular conductance (FVC) was calculated. Bretylium tosylate (BT) iontophoresis was used to block active vasoconstriction in a small area of skin. Skin blood flow was indexed by laser-Doppler flowmetry at BT-treated and untreated sites, and cutaneous vascular conductance was calculated. In normothermia, FVC was lower in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects ( P < 0.01). During heat stress, FVC rose to similar levels in both groups ( P > 0.80); concurrent cutaneous vascular conductance increases were unaffected by BT treatment ( P > 0.60). MAP was greater in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects during normothermia ( P < 0.05, hypertensive vs. normotensive subjects). During hyperthermia, MAP fell in hypertensive subjects but showed no statistically significant change in normotensive subjects ( P < 0.05, hypertensive vs. normotensive subjects). The internal temperature at which vasodilation began did not differ between groups ( P> 0.80). FVC is reduced during normothermia in unmedicated hypertensive subjects; however, they respond to passive heat stress in a fashion no different from normotensive subjects.


1976 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 826-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Johnson ◽  
G. L. Brengelmann ◽  
L. B. Rowell

A three-part experiment was designed to examine interactions between local and reflex influences on forearm skin blood flow (SkBF). In part I locally increasing arm skin temperature (Tsk) to 42.5 degrees C was not associated with increases in underlying forearm muscle blood flow, esophageal temperature (Tes), or forearm blood flow in the contralateral cool arm. In part II whole-body Tsk was held at 38 or 40 degrees C and the surface temperature of one arm held at 38 or 42 degrees C for prolonged periods. SkBF in the heated arm rose rapidly with the elevation in body Tsk and arm Tsk continued to rise as Tes rose. SkBF in the arm kept at 32 degrees C paralleled rising Tes. In six studies, SkBF in the cool arm ultimately converged with SkBF in the heated arm. In eight other studies, heated arm SkBF maintained an offset above cool arm SkBF throughout the period of whole-body heating. In part III, local arm Tsk of 42.5 degrees C did not abolish skin vasoconstrictor response to lower body negative pressure. We conclude that local and reflex influences to skin interact so as to modify the degree but not the pattern of skin vasomotor response.


1976 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 528-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Wyss ◽  
L. B. Rowell

To discover whether humanlike active skin vasodilation occurs in a sweating, subhuman primate, four unanesthetized male baboons (Papio anubis) were heated (blood temp = 39–39.5 degrees C) before and after arterial administration of the alpha-adrenergic blocking agent phenoxybenzamine HCl. Hcat stress alone increased common iliac vascular conductance (CIVC) from 1.2 to 3.7 ml-min-1-mmHg-1 (averages). alpha-Blockade alone increased CIVC from 1.2 to 3.3 ml-min-1-mmHg-1. Heat stress subsequent to alpha-blockade further increased CIVC by only 0.4 ml-min-1-mmHg-1. Thus, most of the rise in CIVC caused by heat stress could be mimicked by alpha-blockade. If, as in man, the dominant means of raising skin blood flow were nonadrenergic active vasodilation, the response of CIVC to heating would far exceed that due to alpha-blockade. We conclude that, in baboons, humanlike active vasodilation of skin plays no significant role in CIVC response to heat stress. Thus, the baboon is not an appropriate model for investigation of control of human skin circulation during hyperthermia.


2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (2) ◽  
pp. R591-R595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Aoki ◽  
Dan P. Stephens ◽  
John M. Johnson

It is not clear whether the diurnal variation in the cutaneous circulatory response to heat stress is via the noradrenergic vasoconstrictor system or the nonadrenergic active vasodilator system. We conducted whole body heating experiments in eight male subjects at 0630 (AM) and 1630 (PM). Skin blood flow was monitored by laser-Doppler flowmetry at control sites and at sites pretreated with bretylium (BT) to block noradrenergic vasoconstriction. Noninvasive blood pressure was used to calculate cutaneous vascular conductance. The sublingual temperature (Tor) threshold for cutaneous vasodilation was significantly higher in PM at control and at BT-treated sites (both P < 0.01), suggesting the diurnal shift in threshold depends on the active vasodilator system. The slope of cutaneous vascular conductance as a percentage of its maximum with respect to Tor was significantly lower in AM at control sites only. Also, in the AM, the slope at control sites was significantly lower than that at BT-treated sites ( P < 0.05), suggesting that the diurnal change in the sensitivity of cutaneous vasodilation depends on vasoconstrictor system function. Overall, the diurnal variation in the reflex control of skin blood flow during heat stress involves both vasoconstrictor and active vasodilator systems.


2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (5) ◽  
pp. R634-R642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron G. Lynn ◽  
Daniel Gagnon ◽  
Konrad Binder ◽  
Robert C. Boushel ◽  
Glen P. Kenny

Plasma hyperosmolality and baroreceptor unloading have been shown to independently influence the heat loss responses of sweating and cutaneous vasodilation. However, their combined effects remain unresolved. On four separate occasions, eight males were passively heated with a liquid-conditioned suit to 1.0°C above baseline core temperature during a resting isosmotic state (infusion of 0.9% NaCl saline) with (LBNP) and without (CON) application of lower-body negative pressure (−40 cmH2O) and during a hyperosmotic state (infusion of 3.0% NaCl saline) with (LBNP + HYP) and without (HYP) application of lower-body negative pressure. Forearm sweat rate (ventilated capsule) and skin blood flow (laser-Doppler), as well as core (esophageal) and mean skin temperatures, were measured continuously. Plasma osmolality increased by ∼10 mosmol/kgH2O during HYP and HYP + LBNP conditions, whereas it remained unchanged during CON and LBNP ( P ≤ 0.05). The change in mean body temperature (0.8 × core temperature + 0.2 × mean skin temperature) at the onset threshold for increases in cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was significantly greater during LBNP (0.56 ± 0.24°C) and HYP (0.69 ± 0.36°C) conditions compared with CON (0.28 ± 0.23°C, P ≤ 0.05). Additionally, the onset threshold for CVC during LBNP + HYP (0.88 ± 0.33°C) was significantly greater than CON and LBNP conditions ( P ≤ 0.05). In contrast, onset thresholds for sweating were not different during LBNP (0.50 ± 0.18°C) compared with CON (0.46 ± 0.26°C, P = 0.950) but were elevated ( P ≤ 0.05) similarly during HYP (0.91 ± 0.37°C) and LBNP + HYP (0.94 ± 0.40°C). Our findings show an additive effect of hyperosmolality and baroreceptor unloading on the onset threshold for increases in CVC during whole body heat stress. In contrast, the onset threshold for sweating during heat stress was only elevated by hyperosmolality with no effect of the baroreflex.


1982 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 744-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Johnson ◽  
M. K. Park

To explore further the competition between vasoconstrictor and vasodilator reflexes in the regulation of skin blood flow, responses in forearm blood flow (FBF) to the initiation of supine leg exercise were measured by plethysmography against a background of rising internal temperature. In 17 studies involving six men, skin temperature (Tsk) was controlled with water-perfused suits first at normothermic levels, followed by a 40- to 50-min period during which Tsk was held at 3813;38.5 degrees C. Supine leg exercise at a moderate intensity (100–150 W) was performed for 5–6 min of each 15 min throughout, yielding one period of exercise performed during normothermic conditions and three periods of exercise performed during the period of elevated Tsk. On the average, FBF fell significantly with the beginning of each period of exercise (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, the amount by which FBF fell tended to increase with increasing levels of preexercise FBF. Thus the average fall in FBF associated with the onset of the last period of exercise, 2.45 ml X 100 ml-1 X min-1, significantly exceeded the 1.12 ml X 100 ml-1 X min-1 fall in FBF seen with onset of work in normothermic conditions. These responses were not due to changes in internal temperature as reflected by esophageal temperatures. However, individual studies occasionally revealed a reduction or abolition of the vasoconstrictor response with the last period of exercise. These findings are in agreement with earlier studies showing a cutaneous participation in the vasoconstrictor responses to exercise but also indicate that sufficient hyperthermia can attenuate or even abolish this response.


2002 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 555-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren S. DeLorey ◽  
Simon S. Wang ◽  
J. Kevin Shoemaker

The effect of augmented sympathetic outflow on forearm vascular conductance after single handgrip contractions of graded intensity was examined to determine whether sympatholysis occurs early in exercise ( n = 7). While supine, subjects performed contractions that were 1 s in duration and 15, 30, and 60% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) in intensity. The contractions were repeated during control and lower body negative pressure (LBNP) (−40 mmHg) sessions. Forearm blood flow (FBF; Doppler ultrasound) and mean arterial pressure were measured continuously for 30 s before and 60 s after the single contractions. Vascular conductance (VC) was calculated. Total postcontraction blood flow increased in an exercise intensity-dependent manner. Compared with control, LBNP caused a reduction in baseline and postexercise FBF ( P < 0.05), VC ( P < 0.01), as well as total excess flow ( P < 0.01). Specifically, during LBNP, baseline FBF and VC were reduced by 29 and 34% of control, respectively ( P < 0.05). After the 15% MVC contraction, peak VC during LBNP was reduced by a magnitude similar to that during baseline (i.e., ∼30%), but it was only reduced by 15% during both the 30 and 60% MVC trials ( P < 0.01). It was concluded that the stimuli for exercise hyperemia during moderate and heavy, but not mild, handgrip exercise intensities, diminish the vasoconstrictor effects of LBNP. Furthermore, these data demonstrate that this sympatholysis occurs early in exercise.


Author(s):  
Magdalena Kuchcik ◽  
Krzysztof Błażejczyk ◽  
Agnieszka Halaś

AbstractSignificant changes in climate variables in the last decades resulted in changes of perceived climate conditions. However, there are only few studies discussing long-lasting changes in bioclimatic conditions. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to present the temporal and spatial distribution of hazardous heat and cold stress conditions in different regions of Poland. Its focus is on long-lasting changes in such conditions in the period 1951–2018. To assess changes in hazardous thermal stress conditions, the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) was used. UTCI values at 12 UTC hour (respectively 1 pm winter time, 2 pm summer time) were calculated daily based on air temperature, relative humidity, total cloud cover and wind speed at 24 stations representing the whole area of Poland. We found that the greatest changes were observed in minimum (1.33 °C/10 years) and average (0.52 °C/10 years) UTCI values as well as in cold stress frequency (− 4.00 days per 10 years). The changes vary seasonally and regionally. The greatest increase in UTCImin and decrease in cold stress days were noted from November to March and had the highest values in north-east and east Poland, and also in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. The trends in maximum UTCI are much smaller and not always positive. The spatially averaged trend in UTCImax for Poland as a whole was 0.35 °C/10 years and the increase in heat stress days was 0.80 days/10 years. The highest increases in UTCImax and heat stress days were noted in eastern and south-eastern Poland.


2000 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 1756-1764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen K. Peters ◽  
Takeshi Nishiyasu ◽  
Gary W. Mack

The impact of body core heating on the interaction between the cutaneous and central circulation during blood pressure challenges was examined in eight adults. Subjects were exposed to −10 to −90 mmHg lower body negative pressure (LBNP) in thermoneutral conditions and −10 to −60 mmHg LBNP during heat stress. We measured forearm vascular conductance (FVC; ml ⋅ min−1 ⋅ 100 ml−1 ⋅ mmHg−1) by plethysmography; cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) by laser-Doppler techniques; and central venous pressure, arterial blood pressure, and cardiac output by impedance cardiography. Heat stress increased FVC from 5.7 ± 0.9 to 18.8 ± 1.3 conductance units (CU) and CVC from 0.21 ± 0.07 to 1.02 ± 0.20 CU. The FVC-CVP relationship was linear over the entire range of LBNP and was shifted upward during heat stress with a slope increase from 0.46 ± 0.10 to 1.57 ± 0.3 CU/mmHg CVP ( P < 0.05). Resting CVP was lower during heat stress (6.3 ± 0.6 vs. 7.7 ± 0.6 mmHg; P < 0.05) but fell to similar levels during LBNP as in normothermic conditions. Data analysis indicates an increased capacity, but not sensitivity, of peripheral baroreflex responses during heat stress. Laser-Doppler techniques detected thermoregulatory responses in the skin, but no significant change in CVC occurred during mild-to-moderate LBNP. Interestingly, very high levels of LBNP produced cutaneous vasodilation in some subjects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (3) ◽  
pp. R539-R546
Author(s):  
Claire E. Trotter ◽  
Faith K. Pizzey ◽  
Philip M. Batterson ◽  
Robert A. Jacobs ◽  
James Pearson

We investigated whether small reductions in skin temperature 60 s after the onset of a simulated hemorrhagic challenge would improve tolerance to lower body negative pressure (LBNP) after exercise heat stress. Eleven healthy subjects completed two trials (High and Reduced). Subjects cycled at ~55% maximal oxygen uptake wearing a warm water-perfused suit until core temperatures increased by ~1.2°C before lying supine and undergoing LBNP to presyncope. LBNP tolerance was quantified as cumulative stress index (CSI; product of each LBNP level multiplied by time; mmHg·min). Skin temperature was similarly elevated from baseline before LBNP and remained elevated 60 s after the onset of LBNP in both High (37.72 ± 0.52°C) and Reduced (37.95 ± 0.54°C) trials (both P < 0.0001). At 60%CSI skin temperature remained elevated in the High trial (37.51 ± 0.56°C) but was reduced to 34.97 ± 0.72°C by the water-perfused suit in the Reduced trial ( P < 0.0001 between trials). Cutaneous vascular conductance was not different between trials [High: 1.57 ± 0.43 vs. Reduced: 1.39 ± 0.38 arbitrary units (AU)/mmHg; P = 0.367] before LBNP but decreased to 0.67 ± 0.19 AU/mmHg at 60%CSI in the Reduced trial while remaining unchanged in the High trial ( P = 0.002 between trials). CSI was higher in the Reduced (695 ± 386 mmHg·min) relative to the High (441 ± 290 mmHg·min; P = 0.023) trial. Mean arterial pressure was not different between trials at presyncope (High: 62 ± 10 vs. Reduced: 62 ± 9 mmHg; P = 0.958). Small reductions in skin temperature after the onset of a simulated hemorrhagic challenge improve LBNP tolerance after exercise heat stress. This may have important implications regarding treatment of an exercise heat-stressed individual (e.g., soldier) who has experienced a hemorrhagic injury.


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