During exercise, the cardiovascular system rapidly and appropriately reacts to match the metabolic demands of physical activity. The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in achieving this closely matched circulatory response by precisely increasing efferent sympathetic nervous system activity to the heart, blood vessels and adrenal medulla and decreasing the parasympathetic nerve activity directed toward the heart. It is well established that these changes in the autonomic nervous system are regulated by several mechanisms that work in concert, such as: central command, the exercise pressor reflex, the chemoreflex, as well as the arterial and cardiopulmonary baroreceptors. While these reflexes were identified to contribute to the autonomic adjustments to exercise years ago, researchers in the last few decades have made tremendous strides in exploring the independent and interactive effects of these reflexes in mediating the cardiovascular responses to exercise. Additionally, our understanding of inter- and intra-individual influences on the autonomic neural control of the circulation have greatly advanced. Nonetheless, much of the autonomic nervous system remains a mystery that is longing to be resolved, particularly in the context of disease states that are characterized by autonomic nervous system dysfunction. This research topic aims to address what is currently known in the field of the autonomic neural control of the circulation during exercise, recent developments in this domain, as well as what is required to advance this field.
The goal of this special edition research topic is to promote innovative and provocative ideas that can advance our understanding of the autonomic nervous system’s regulation of cardiovascular control during exercise. The collection of articles will inspire, inform, and provide direction and guidance to researchers in the field. We are interested in receiving a plethora of articles including reviews, meta-analyses, pre-clinical investigations, as well as methods papers on novel developments that will help us better understand the autonomic nervous system. Research in human and non-human species are welcome into this research topic.
During exercise, the cardiovascular system rapidly and appropriately reacts to match the metabolic demands of physical activity. The autonomic nervous system plays an important role in achieving this closely matched circulatory response by precisely increasing efferent sympathetic nervous system activity to the heart, blood vessels and adrenal medulla and decreasing the parasympathetic nerve activity directed toward the heart. It is well established that these changes in the autonomic nervous system are regulated by several mechanisms that work in concert, such as: central command, the exercise pressor reflex, the chemoreflex, as well as the arterial and cardiopulmonary baroreceptors. While these reflexes were identified to contribute to the autonomic adjustments to exercise years ago, researchers in the last few decades have made tremendous strides in exploring the independent and interactive effects of these reflexes in mediating the cardiovascular responses to exercise. Additionally, our understanding of inter- and intra-individual influences on the autonomic neural control of the circulation have greatly advanced. Nonetheless, much of the autonomic nervous system remains a mystery that is longing to be resolved, particularly in the context of disease states that are characterized by autonomic nervous system dysfunction. This research topic aims to address what is currently known in the field of the autonomic neural control of the circulation during exercise, recent developments in this domain, as well as what is required to advance this field.
The goal of this special edition research topic is to promote innovative and provocative ideas that can advance our understanding of the autonomic nervous system’s regulation of cardiovascular control during exercise. The collection of articles will inspire, inform, and provide direction and guidance to researchers in the field. We are interested in receiving a plethora of articles including reviews, meta-analyses, pre-clinical investigations, as well as methods papers on novel developments that will help us better understand the autonomic nervous system. Research in human and non-human species are welcome into this research topic.