Effect of acute handgrip and aerobic exercise on wasted pressure effort and arterial wave reflections in healthy aging.
Joseph M Stock, Ninette Shenouda, Nicholas V Chouramanis...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37477688Actively Recruiting
Phase Not Applicable
Age: 18Years +
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers
ID06939153
Effects of Age, Sex and Isometric Exercise on Ventricular-Vascular Interactions During Cardiac Unloading
Led by Tracy Baynard · Updated on 2026-04-30
64
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
19 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
This research aims to understand how the heart and blood vessels communicate during low blood pressure, especially as people age and in women. It focuses on a condition called orthostatic intolerance, where blood pressure drops upon standing, causing dizziness and risk of falls. The study explores how aging and sex affect this heart-vessel interaction and whether handgrip exercise can help protect against blood pressure drops. Participants will experience two laboratory sessions on separate days in random order. One session involves exposure to a lower body negative pressure (LBNP) chamber that simulates low blood pressure by creating a vacuum around the legs. The other session combines LBNP with isometric handgrip exercise during certain stages. Each stage lasts about 5 minutes, with handgrip exercise performed during the middle and last two minutes of specific stages. During the study, participants will lie down while heart function, arterial load, blood pressure, and ventricular-vascular coupling are measured using ultrasound and finger cuffs. Researchers will track these measures at baseline and during each LBNP stage. The study includes young and older adults of both sexes. The total study duration includes two separate visits where data on heart and blood vessel responses under different conditions are collected and analyzed.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Effects of Age, Sex and Isometric Exercise on Ventricular-Vascular Interactions During Cardiac Unloading
Who Can Participate
Age: 18Years +
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- People aged 18 to 35 years or aged 65 years and older
- Healthy without symptoms of orthostatic intolerance such as nausea, sweating, weakness, or visual disturbance
- Seated systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg
- Body mass index less than 35 kg/m2
- Recreationally active with no more than 2 days of structured physical activity per week
- Regular menstrual cycles in young females
You will not qualify if you...
- Diagnosed with cardiovascular, diabetes, inflammatory or renal diseases, or neurodegenerative-related dementia
- Current tobacco users
- Prescribed beta-blockers
- Pregnant females
- Unable to fit or enter the lower body negative pressure chamber
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
1
2
3
Your Study Journey
Screening
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person)
Treatment
Duration - Single day session
Participants undergo lower body negative pressure (LBNP) sessions with and without isometric handgrip exercise to study heart and arterial load responses.
1 visit (in-person) with two LBNP testing conditions in a crossover design
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02125
Actively Recruiting
Loading map...
Research Team
J
João L. Marôco, MS
T
Tracy Baynard, PhD
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
CROSSOVER
Primary Purpose
OTHER
Number of Arms
4
Similar Trials
Frequently Asked Questions
Have more questions? Get in touch with our team for quick support
Not the Right Trial for You?
Explore thousands of other clinical trials that might be a better match.
Sign up to get personalized trial recommendations delivered to your inbox.
Already have an account? Log in here
Published Research Related To This Trial
Comparative plasma catecholamine and hemodynamic responses to handgrip, cold pressor and supine bicycle exercise testing in normal subjects.
J R Stratton, J B Halter, A P Hallstrom...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6853921Lower Body Negative Pressure: Physiological Effects, Applications, and Implementation.
Nandu Goswami, Andrew Philip Blaber, Helmut Hinghofer-Szalkay...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30540225Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality related to orthostatic hypotension: a meta-analysis of prospective observational studies.
Fabrizio Ricci, Artur Fedorowski, Francesco Radico...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25852216Hemodynamics of orthostatic intolerance: implications for gender differences.
Qi Fu, Armin Arbab-Zadeh, Merja A Perhonen...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14527942Consensus statement on the definition of orthostatic hypotension, neurally mediated syncope and the postural tachycardia syndrome.
Roy Freeman, Wouter Wieling, Felicia B Axelrod...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21431947Orthostatic Hypotension: Management of a Complex, But Common, Medical Problem.
Artur Fedorowski, Fabrizio Ricci, Viktor Hamrefors...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35212554