Siedlecki Patrick, Ivanova Tanya D, Garland S Jayne
School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada.
Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada.
Eur J Ageing. 2025 Jun 5;22(1):26. doi: 10.1007/s10433-025-00863-z.
A bi-directional interaction between the cardiovascular and postural control systems has been previously reported in young adults; however, limited data exist in older populations where physiological alternations in these systems are well known. The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) the effect of slow breathing on heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) responses following surface support postural perturbations in older adults and (2) the effect of slow breathing on lower limb muscle burst onset and burst amplitude during postural perturbations of the support surface in older adults. Twenty community-dwelling older adults experienced posteriorly directed accelerations of treadmill belts during quiet standing while breathing spontaneously (SPON) or breathing at 6 breaths per minute (SLOW). SBP, HR, and muscle burst onset and burst amplitude were analyzed for 7 s from each perturbation's onset. Post-perturbation comparison of SLOW and SPON showed that SBP was significantly higher during SPON over the entire analyzed time period (0-7 s) (p < 0.001), while there was no difference in HR throughout the same analysis window (0-7 s) (p > 0.05). The muscle burst onset was shortened in the SLOW compared to SPON task (p < 0.001), while muscle burst amplitude was not significantly different between SPON and SLOW (p = 0.353). Although slow breathing affected cardiovascular and muscle activation onset responses during postural perturbations in older adults, they differed from the responses in younger adults reported previously. The findings highlight the physiological adaptations that may occur to maintain postural stability in older adults.
先前已有报道称，在年轻人中，心血管系统和姿势控制系统之间存在双向相互作用；然而，在已知这些系统存在生理变化的老年人群中，相关数据有限。本研究的目的是确定：（1）老年人在表面支撑姿势扰动后，慢呼吸对心率（HR）和收缩压（SBP）反应的影响；（2）老年人在支撑面姿势扰动期间，慢呼吸对下肢肌肉爆发起始和爆发幅度的影响。20名居住在社区的老年人在安静站立时，在跑步机皮带向后加速的情况下，分别进行自主呼吸（SPON）或每分钟6次呼吸（SLOW）。从每次扰动开始后的7秒内分析SBP、HR以及肌肉爆发起始和爆发幅度。对SLOW和SPON扰动后的情况进行比较，发现在整个分析时间段（0 - 7秒）内，SPON期间的SBP显著高于SLOW（p < 0.001），而在相同分析窗口（0 - 7秒）内，HR没有差异（p > 0.05）。与SPON任务相比，SLOW任务中的肌肉爆发起始缩短（p < 0.001），而SPON和SLOW之间的肌肉爆发幅度没有显著差异（p = 0.353）。虽然慢呼吸会影响老年人姿势扰动期间的心血管和肌肉激活起始反应，但这些反应与先前报道的年轻人的反应不同。这些发现突出了老年人为维持姿势稳定性可能发生的生理适应。
