Positron emission tomography detects greater blood flow and less blood flow heterogeneity in the exercising skeletal muscles of old compared with young men during fatiguing contractions

Thorsten Rudroff; Jessica A Weissman; Marco Bucci; Marko Seppänen; Kimmo Kaskinoro; Ilkka Heinonen; Kari K Kalliokoski

doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2013.264614

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Positron emission tomography detects greater blood flow and less blood flow heterogeneity in the exercising skeletal muscles of old compared with young men during fatiguing contractions

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Positron emission tomography detects greater blood flow and less blood flow heterogeneity in the exercising skeletal muscles of old compared with young men during fatiguing contractions

Thorsten Rudroff, Jessica A Weissman, Marco Bucci, Marko Seppänen, Kimmo Kaskinoro, Ilkka Heinonen and Kari K Kalliokoski

The Journal of physiology, Vol.592(Pt 2), pp.337-349

01/15/2014

DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.264614

PMCID: PMC3922498

PMID: 24247981

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate blood flow and its heterogeneity within and among the knee muscles in five young (26 ± 6 years) and five old (77 ± 6 years) healthy men with similar levels of physical activity while they performed two types of submaximal fatiguing isometric contraction that required either force or position control. Positron emission tomography (PET) and [ 15 O]-H 2 O were used to determine blood flow at 2 min (beginning) and 12 min (end) after the start of the tasks. Young and old men had similar maximal forces and endurance times for the fatiguing tasks. Although muscle volumes were lower in the older subjects, total muscle blood flow was similar in both groups (young men: 25.8 ± 12.6 ml min −1 ; old men: 25.1 ± 15.4 ml min −1 ; age main effect, P = 0.77) as blood flow per unit mass of muscle in the exercising knee extensors was greater in the older (12.5 ± 6.2 ml min −1 (100 g) −1 ) than the younger (8.6 ± 3.6 ml min −1 (100 g) −1 ) men (age main effect, P = 0.001). Further, blood flow heterogeneity in the exercising knee extensors was significantly lower in the older (56 ± 27%) than the younger (67 ± 34%) men. Together, these data show that although skeletal muscles are smaller in older subjects, based on the intact neural drive to the muscle and the greater, less heterogeneous blood flow per gram of muscle, old fit muscle achieves adequate exercise hyperaemia.

Skeletal Muscle and Exercises

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Title: Subtitle: Positron emission tomography detects greater blood flow and less blood flow heterogeneity in the exercising skeletal muscles of old compared with young men during fatiguing contractions
Creators: Thorsten Rudroff - Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University
Jessica A Weissman - Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University
Marco Bucci - Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
Marko Seppänen - Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
Kimmo Kaskinoro - Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
Ilkka Heinonen - Division of Experimental Cardiology, Thoraxcentre, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam
Kari K Kalliokoski - Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: The Journal of physiology, Vol.592(Pt 2), pp.337-349
DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.264614
PMID: 24247981
PMCID: PMC3922498
NLM abbreviation: J Physiol
ISSN: 0022-3751
eISSN: 1469-7793
Publisher: Blackwell publishing Ltd
Grant note: DOI: 10.13039/100000049, name: National Institute on Aging, award: AG33744
Language: English
Date published: 01/15/2014
Academic Unit: Neurology; Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
Record Identifier: 9984002493202771

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