%0 Journal Article
%T Dynamic vagal-mediated connectivity of cortical and subcortical central autonomic hubs predicts chronotropic response to submaximal exercise in healthy adults.
%A Di Bello M
%A Chang C
%A McIntosh R
%J Brain Cogn
%V 175
%N 0
%D 2024 Mar 23
%M 38266398
%F 2.682
%R 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106134
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Despite accumulation of a substantial body of literature supporting the role of exercise on frontal lobe functioning, relatively less is understood of the interconnectivity of ventromedial prefrontal cortical (vmPFC) regions that underpin cardio-autonomic regulation predict cardiac chronotropic competence (CC) in response to sub-maximal exercise.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Eligibility of 161 adults (mean age = 48.6, SD = 18.3, 68% female) was based upon completion of resting state brain scan and sub-maximal bike test. Sliding window analysis of the resting state signal was conducted over 45-s windows, with 50% overlap, to assess how changes in photoplethysmography-derived HRV relate to vmPFC functional connectivity with the whole brain. CC was assessed based upon heart rate (HR) changes during submaximal exercise (HR change /HRmax (206-0.88 × age) - HRrest).<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>During states of elevated HRV the vmPFC showed greater rsFC with an 83-voxel region of the hypothalamus (p < 0.001, uncorrected). Beta estimates of vmPFC connectivity extracted from a 6-mm sphere around this region emerged as the strongest predictor of CC (b = 0.283, p <.001) than age, BMI, and resting HRV F(8,144) = 6.30, p <.001.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Extensive glutamatergic innervation of the hypothalamus by the vmPFC allows for top-down control of the hypothalamus and its various autonomic efferents which facilitate chronotropic response during sub-maximal exercise.