Investigating Cerebral and Cardiac Blood Flow and Cerebral Oxygen Extraction Concurrently During and Immediately after Exercise

To investigate the integrated impact of exercise on cardiac (CI) and cerebral (CBF) blood flow and oxygenation (OEF), measures were made concurrently in older active males at rest, during steady-state exercise and recovery. There was high association between aortic and biplane CI measures, and CBF increases with CI. Exercise induced increases in CI, CBF and the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO₂), which were not seen on recovery. OEF was inversely associated with CI at rest, and increased on recovery. Exercise and recovery changes support the need for and highlight the utility of in-scanner exercise studies to investigate cardiovascular regulation.