Lucid dreaming frequency and change blindness performance.

There are reports of lucid dreaming being cued by the recognition that a dream event is bizarre from the point of view of waking life. However, for dreams in general, there is a lack of ability to notice or question bizarre occurrences. A waking-life analog of this inability is here proposed to be change blindness. In change blindness tasks, a prominent alteration to a photograph occurs repeatedly, but it is rare for these changes to be spotted immediately. It was hypothesized that lucid dreamers would perform better on change blindness tasks than would nonlucid dreamers. Contrary to the hypothesis, individuals who reported having lucid dreams more than once per month (n = 13), occasional lucid dreamers (n = 13), and nonlucid dreamers (n = 12) were found not to differ significantly on performance on 6 change blindness tasks. How the usually proficient unconscious detection of errors during waking life is disabled during dreams remains to be determined, but it does not seem from the results here to have a simple relationship with the waking-life phenomenon of change blindness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dreamed movement elicits activation in the sensorimotor cortex

Since the discovery of the close association between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and dreaming, much effort has been devoted to link physiological signatures of REM sleep to the contents of associated dreams [1-4]. Due to the impossibility of experimentally controlling spontaneous dream activity, however, a direct demonstration of dream contents by neuroimaging methods is lacking. By combining brain imaging with polysomnography and exploiting the state of "lucid dreaming," we show here that a predefined motor task performed during dreaming elicits neuronal activation in the sensorimotor cortex. In lucid dreams, the subject is aware of the dreaming state and capable of performing predefined actions while all standard polysomnographic criteria of REM sleep are fulfilled [5, 6]. Using eye signals as temporal markers, neural activity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was related to dreamed hand movements during lucid REM sleep. Though preliminary, we provide first evidence that specific contents of REM-associated dreaming can be visualized by neuroimaging.     

Cerebral specialization during lucid dreaming: A right hemisphere hypothesis.

Research has shown that certain individuals are able to carry out prearranged tasks while lucid dreaming, and that these tasks produce physiological effects on the body similar to what is observed during waking. It was hypothesized that the difficulty of performing cerebrally lateralized tasks during a lucid dream would vary with the dominant hemisphere for that task, with less difficulty for right hemisphere tasks. Twenty-seven participants rated the difficulty of performing three matched pairs of left hemisphere and right hemisphere tasks, first in a lucid dream, and later in their waking imagination. Results indicated right hemisphere dominance during lucid dreaming, especially among right-handed participants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Association of lucid dreaming frequency with Stroop task performance.

Lucid dreaming involves the attentional skill of having metacognition about the dreamer's state of consciousness at the same time as being engaged in the dream scenario. A combination of two levels of cognition also occurs in the incongruent condition of the Stroop task, where there is interference between the attentional demands of a relatively difficult (color naming) and an easy (reading) task. It was thus hypothesized that frequent lucid dreamers would perform better on the Stroop task than would nonlucid dreamers. Individuals who reported having lucid dreams more than once per month (n = 15) were found to be significantly faster on the incongruent condition of the Stroop task than were occasional lucid dreamers (n = 15) or nonlucid dreamers (n = 15). The groups did not differ on the standard colored nonword control condition. Continuity in attentional ability between waking and dreaming cognition was thus found. This continuity may counteract the psychophysiologically dominant and possibly evolutionarily selected lack of self-awareness in dreams. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exotic Dreams: A Cross-Cultural Study

The purpose of this study was to identify exotic (i.e., puzzling, unusual, extraordinary, anomalous) dreams in a sample of 1,666 dream reports from six countries, and to make gender comparisons as well. Research participants were members of dream seminars that one of us conducted between 1990 and 1998 in Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. Only one dream report per participant was utilized, 910 dream reports from women and 756 from men. Scoring criteria were determined in advance for creative, lucid, healing, dreams within dreams, out-of-body, telepathic, mutual (and shared), clairvoyant, precognitive, past-life, initiation, and visitation dreams. When a dream fell into two categories, it received a score of 0.5 for each of the categories, rather than a score of 1.0, awarded when a dream represented a single category. In the sample of 1,666 dreams, there were 135 (8.1%) exotic dreams. Female dreamers reported 77 (8.5% of all female reports) exotic dreams, while male dreamers reported 58 (7.7% of all male reports), the difference was not statistically significant. The country with the highest percentage of exotic dream reports was Russia (12.7% of the total number reported by Russian seminar participants), followed by Brazil (10.9%), Argentina (9.0%), Japan (8.1%), Ukraine (5.9%), and the United States (5.7%). When chi square statistics were applied, it was found that Russian dreamers reported significantly more exotic dreams than dreamers in Ukraine or the United States.     

The effects of carbohydrate loading on repetitive jump squat power performance

The beneficial role of carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation in endurance exercise is well documented. However, only few data are available on the effects of CHO loading on resistance exercise performance. Because of the repetitive use of high-threshold motor units, it was hypothesized that the power output (power-endurance) of multiple sets of jump squats would be enhanced following a high-CHO (6.5 g CHO kg body mass(-1)) diet compared to a moderate-CHO (4.4 g CHO kg body mass(-1)) diet. Eight healthy men (mean +/- SD: age 26.3 +/- 2.6 years; weight 73.0 +/- 6.3 kg; body fat 13.4 +/- 5.0%; height 178.2 +/- 6.1 cm) participated in 2 randomly assigned counterbalanced supplementation periods of 4 days after having their free-living habitual diet monitored. The resistance exercise test consisted of 4 sets of 12 repetitions of maximal-effort jump squats using a Plyometric Power System unit and a load of 30% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM). A 2-minute rest period was used between sets. Immediately before and after the exercise test, a blood sample was obtained to determine the serum glucose and blood lactate concentrations. No significant difference in power performance existed between the 2 diets. As expected, there was a significant (p 相似文献   

Lipid oxidation in fit young adults during postexercise recovery.

To evaluate the hypothesis that lipid oxidation predominates in postexercise recovery, we examined healthy men (n = 6; age = 21.2 +/- 0.6 yr) and women (n = 6; age = 22.8 +/- 2.1 yr) during and after two exercise tasks [89 min at 45% and 60 min at 65% of peak rate of oxygen consumption (V(O2 peak))] as well as a time-matched resting control trial (Con). Exercise bouts were matched for energy expenditure. Respiratory exchange ratios (RER) during exercise at 65% V(O2 peak) for both men and women (0.95 +/- 0.01 and 0.93 +/- 0.02) were significantly higher than 45% V(O2 peak) (0.89 +/- 0.01 and 0.86 +/- 0.02) and Con trials (0.86 +/- 0.01 and 0.86 +/- 0.02, respectively). During recovery, for men RER values were 0.78 +/- 0.01 and 0.76 +/- 0.01 after 45% and 65% exercise, respectively. For women, values were 0.79 +/- 0.01 and 0.78 +/- 0.01. These were significantly lower than during both the preexercise resting period and the corresponding no-exercise Con period (0.82 +/- 0.01 and 0.83 +/- 0.01, mean RER for men and women, respectively). Hence, the contribution of lipid oxidation to energy supply increased significantly during recovery compared with preexercise levels, and it was greater after exercise than during the time-matched, no-exercise Con period. It is concluded that, although carbohydrate is the major fuel source during moderate- to high-intensity exercise, 1) there is substantial postexercise lipid oxidation; and 2) lipid oxidation is the same during postexercise recovery whether the relative power output is 45% or 65% of V(O2 peak) when energy expenditure of exercise is matched.     

THE RELEVANT USE OF THE TRADITIONAL TUNISIAN GAME ‘‘RAQASSA’’ FOR CARDIOVASCULAR STIMULATION IN SCHOOLCHILDREN

The aim of this study was to investigate the heart rate (HR) responses, the rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and the feeling during physical education schooling while performing traditional games activities compared to intermittent exercise. Nineteen pre-pubertal children randomly performed on different days two types of lessons (intermittent running mode vs. traditional Tunisian “Raqassa” game) lasting 12-min each. HR was continuously recorded during both lessons, while ratings of perceived exertion and Feeling values were recorded after the sessions. The mean HR value during the traditional game was significantly higher than during intermittent exercise (p<0.05). Conversely, the perceived exertion score was significantly higher after intermittent exercise than the traditional exercise game (p<0.05), showing that the higher cardiovascular strain of the game was perceived as “lighter” than the run. Simultaneously, the children''s Feeling was significantly higher after the traditional game than intermittent exercise (p<0.001), showing a higher satisfaction from playing with respect to running. Exercise based on the “Raqassa” traditional game could be used in pre-pubertal children as an alternative or as an additional method for suitable cardiovascular stimulation during physical education lessons with lower perceived exertion and better feeling compared to intermittent running.     

Impact of glutamine supplementation on glucose homeostasis during and after exercise.

The interaction of glutamine availability and glucose homeostasis during and after exercise was investigated, measuring whole body glucose kinetics with [3-3H]glucose and net organ balances of glucose and amino acids (AA) during basal, exercise, and postexercise hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp periods in six multicatheterized dogs. Dogs were studied twice in random treatment order: once with glutamine (12 micromol.kg(-1).min(-1); Gln) and once with saline (Con) infused intravenously during and after exercise. Plasma glucose fell by 7 mg/dl with exercise in Con (P < 0.05), but it did not fall with Gln. Gln further stimulated whole body glucose production and utilization an additional 24% above a normal exercise response (P < 0.05). Net hepatic uptake of glutamine and alanine was greater with Gln than Con during exercise (P < 0.05). Net hepatic glucose output was increased sevenfold during exercise with Gln (P < 0.05) but not with Con. Net hindlimb glucose uptake was increased similarly during exercise in both groups (P < 0.05). During the postexercise hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic period, glucose production decreased to near zero with Con, but it did not decrease below basal levels with Gln. Gln increased glucose utilization by 16% compared with Con after exercise (P < 0.05). Furthermore, net hindlimb glucose uptake in the postexercise period was increased approximately twofold vs. basal with Gln (P < 0.05) but not with Con. Net hepatic uptake of glutamine during the postexercise period was threefold greater for Gln than Con (P < 0.05). In conclusion, glutamine availability modulates glucose homeostasis during and after exercise, which may have implications for postexercise recovery.     

The effects of a two-week reflection-intention training program on lucid dream recall.

Previous research in the field of lucid dreams has produced several techniques which are claimed to be a means of inducing lucid dreams, but there have been only a small number of reported studies which have evaluated their effectiveness. The present study investigated the effects of one of the most promising of these, the reflection-intention technique, which is specifically designed to increase the frequency of dream and lucid dream recall. The sample here consisted of 20 participants whose frequencies of normal dream recall and lucid dream recall were recorded before, during and after a two week training program by using a dream questionnaire and a dream journal: A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance showed a significant increase in both dream recall frequency (F2,38 = 22.09, p2,38 = 5.96, p     

Evaluation of circuit-training intensity for firefighters

Firefighters are required to perform a variety of strenuous occupational tasks that require high levels of both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Thus, it is critical that firefighters train at an appropriate intensity to develop adequate levels of aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Circuit training is a unique training method that stresses both energy systems and therefore may be a viable training method to enhance firefighter preparedness. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the aerobic and anaerobic intensities of a circuit-based workout to physiological data previously reported on firefighters performing fire suppression and rescue tasks. Twenty career firefighters performed a workout that included 2 rotations of 12 exercises that stressed all major muscle groups. Heart rate was recorded at the completion of each exercise. Blood lactate was measured before and approximately 5 minutes after the workout. The workout heart rate and post-workout blood lactate responses were statistically compared to data reported on firefighters performing fire suppression and rescue tasks. The mean circuit-training heart rate was similar to previously reported heart rate responses from firefighters performing simulated smoke-diving tasks (79 ± 5 vs. 79 ± 6% maximum heart rate [HRmax], p = 0.741), but lower than previously reported heart rate responses from firefighters performing fire suppression tasks (79 ± 5 vs. 88 ± 6% HRmax, p < 0.001). The workout produced a similar peak blood lactate compared to that when performing firefighting tasks (12 ± 3 vs. 13 ± 3 mmol·L(-1), p = 0.084). In general, the circuit-based workout produced a lower cardiovascular stress but a similar anaerobic stress as compared to performing firefighting tasks. Therefore, firefighters should supplement low-intensity circuit-training programs with high-intensity cardiovascular and resistance training (e.g., ≥85% 1-repetition maximum) exercises to adequately prepare for the variable physical demands of firefighting.     

The effect of prior exercise and caffeine ingestion on metabolic rate and hormones in young adult males

The purposes of this study were to examine (a) the effects of acute exercise on metabolic rate 24 and 48 h postexercise and (b) the interaction of acute exercise and the thermic effect of caffeine on metabolic rate and hormonal changes during the late postexercise recovery period. In six young males, who were regular consumers of caffeine, resting energy expenditure was measured before and after caffeine (5 mg.kg-1) and placebo ingestion under the following conditions: (i) control (e.g., no prior exercise), (ii) 24 h postexercise, and (iii) 48 h postexercise. Blood samples were drawn for plasma glucose, insulin, glycerol, free fatty acids, catecholamines, and thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and free thyroxine). Results showed that acute exercise did not exert a detectable effect on resting metabolic rate in the late postexercise recovery period, that is, resting metabolic rate was similar among the conditions of control (1.17 +/- 0.12 kcal.min-1), 24 h postexercise (1.16 +/- 0.12), and 48 h postexercise (1.16 +/- 0.11). Caffeine ingestion increased metabolic rate (approximately 7%), but the thermic effect was not different among the experimental conditions. Plasma insulin and norepinephrine were lower after caffeine ingestion, whereas an increase in plasma free fatty acids was noted. Other hormones and substrates did not change significantly in response to caffeine ingestion. Furthermore, the hormonal and substrate milieu was not significantly different 24 and 48 h postexercise when compared with the control condition. Our results support the view that acute exercise does not alter the resting metabolic rate in the late postexercise recovery period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Upregulation of uncoupling protein-3 in skeletal muscle during exercise: a potential antioxidant function

Uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3) expression has been shown to increase dramatically in response to muscular contraction, but the physiological significance of UCP3 upregulation is still elusive. In this study, UCP3 mRNA and protein expression were investigated along with mitochondrial respiratory function, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and antioxidant defense in rat skeletal muscle during and after an acute bout of prolonged exercise. UCP3 mRNA expression was elevated sharply at 45 min of exercise, reaching 7- to 8-fold above resting level at 150 min. The increase in UCP3 protein content showed a latent response but was elevated approximately 1.9-fold at 120 min of exercise. Both UCP3 mRNA and UCP3 protein gradually returned to resting levels 24 h postexercise. Mitochondrial ROS production was progressively increased during exercise. However, ROS showed a dramatic drop at 150 min although their levels remained severalfold higher during the recovery. Mitochondrial State 4 respiration rate was increased by 46 and 58% (p < 0.05) at 90 and 120 min, respectively, but returned to resting rate at 150 min, when State 3 respiration and respiratory control index (RCI) were suppressed. ADP-to-oxygen consumption (P/O) ratio and ATP synthase activity were lowered at 3 h postexercise, whereas proton motive force and mitochondrial malondialdehyde content were unchanged. Manganese superoxide dismutase gene expression was not affected by exercise except for an increase in mRNA abundance at 3 h postexercise. These data demonstrate that UCP3 expression in rat skeletal muscle can be rapidly upregulated during prolonged exercise, possibly owing to increased ROS generation. Increased UCP3 may partially alleviate the proton gradient across the inner membrane, thereby reducing further ROS production by the electron transport chain. However, prolonged exercise caused a decrease in energy coupling efficiency in muscle mitochondria revealed by an increased respiration rate due to proton leak (State 4/State 3 ratio) and decreased RCI. We thus propose that the compromise of the oxidative phosphorylation efficiency due to UCP3 upregulation may serve an antioxidant function to protect the muscle mitochondria from exercise-induced oxidative stress     

Glucose kinetics differ between women and men, during and after exercise.

As exercise can improve the regulation of glucose and carbohydrate metabolism, it is important to establish biological factors, such as sex, that may influence these outcomes. Glucose kinetics, therefore, were compared between women and men at rest, during exercise, and postexercise. It was hypothesized that glucose flux would be significantly lower in women than men during both the exercise and postexercise periods. Subjects included normal weight, healthy, eumenorrehic women and men, matched for habitual activity level and maximal oxygen uptake per kilogram lean body mass. Testing occurred following 3 days of diet control, with no exercise the day before. Subjects were tested in the overnight-fasted condition with women studied in the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Resting (120 min), exercise (85% lactate threshold, 90 min), and postexercise (180 min) measurements of glucose flux and substrate metabolism were made. During exercise, women had a significantly lower rate of glucose appearance (Ra) (P<0.001) and disappearance (Rd) (P<0.002) compared with men. Maximal values were achieved at 90 min of exercise for both glucose Ra (mean+/-SE: 22.8+/-1.12 micromol.kg body wt-1.min-1 women and 33.6+/-1.79 micromol.kg body wt-1.min-1 men) and glucose Rd (23.2+/-1.26 and 34.1+/-1.71 micromol.kg body wt-1.min-1, respectively). Exercise epinephrine concentration was significantly lower in women compared with men (P<0.02), as was the increment in glucagon from rest to exercise (P<0.04). During the postexercise period, glucose Ra and Rd were also significantly lower in women vs. men (P<0.001), with differences diminishing over time. In conclusion, circulating blood glucose flux was significantly lower during 90 min of moderate exercise, and immediately postexercise, in women compared with men. Sex differences in the glucagon increase to exercise, and/or the epinephrine levels during exercise, may play a role in determining these sex differences in exercise glucose turnover.     

Aerobic conditioning effects on substrate responses during graded cycling in pregnancy

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that aerobic conditioning prevents exercise-induced hypoglycemia and preserves the capacity to utilize carbohydrates and to produce lactate during heavy exercise in late gestation. The effects of closely monitored cycle ergometer conditioning (heart rate = 143 +/- 2 beats/min, 25 min/day, 3 days/week) during the second and third trimesters were studied in 18 previously sedentary women (exercised group, EG). A nonexercising pregnant control group (CG, n = 9) was also studied. Data collection times for both groups were as follows: start of the second trimester (Entry), ends of the second (TM2) and third (TM3) trimesters (post-training), and 4-6 months postpartum (nonpregnant control). Respiratory gas exchange was studied and venous blood samples were obtained before, during, and after a graded cycle ergometer test that was terminated at a peak heart rate of 170 beats/min. Measurements included plasma glucose, insulin, free fatty acids, the respiratory exchange ratio at peak exercise, and peak postexercise lactate concentration. A significant aerobic conditioning effect in the EG was confirmed by a 17% increase in O2 pulse at peak exercise between Entry and TM3. As expected, values for free fatty acids in the CG rose with advancing gestational age. The CG showed a clear trend for a rise in plasma insulin with advancing gestational age, under all experimental conditions. Also, peak exercise respiratory exchange ratio and peak postexercise lactate concentration were significantly reduced in late gestation, and plasma glucose decreased significantly during and following the end of TM3 testing. Effects of pregnancy to reduce peak postexercise lactate and to reduce plasma glucose during and after exercise at the end of the third trimester were significantly attenuated in the EG. These effects were attributed to attenuation of pregnancy-induced insulin resistance (as reflected by insulin/glucose ratio) by physical conditioning. These findings support our original experimental hypothesis that aerobic conditioning prevents exercise-induced hypoglycemia and preserves the ability to utilize carbohydrate and produce lactate during heavy exercise in late gestation.     

Effects of exhaustive submaximal exercise on cardiovascular function during sleep

The influence of an afternoon bout of exhaustive submaximal exercise on cardiovascular function and catecholamine excretion during sleep was examined in five female and four male subjects. Subjects walked on a treadmill for successive 50-min periods at 50, 60, and 70% maximal O2 consumption, separated by 10-min rest periods. Exercise terminated with volitional exhaustion. Following an adaptation night, electroencephalographic and impedance cardiographic measures were obtained during three successive nights of sleep, with exercise preceding night 3. Relative to the base-line night (night 2), exhaustive exercise resulted in a sustained elevation of heart rate and cardiac output throughout the entire night's sleep. The magnitude of these elevations was unaffected by sleep stage but decreased over the night. The typical pattern of circadian decline in cardiac output was unaltered. However, the decline in heart rate with sleep onset was greater on the exercise night. Changes in impedance dZ/dt and R-Z interval suggested an enhanced myocardial contractility during the first 3 h of sleep postexercise. Analysis of morning urine samples revealed that in seven of nine subjects norepinephrine excretion increased, epinephrine excretion decreased, and dopamine excretion was unchanged during sleep on the exercise night. It is suggested that these cardiac changes reflect a sustained increase in myocardial beta-receptor activity.     

The role of exercise in thermogenesis and energy balance

The role of exercise training in energy balance has been reviewed. Recent well-conducted studies showed that exercise may increase energy expenditure not only during the period of exercise itself but during the postexercise period as well. This notion of excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which has been a controversial issue for many years, is now becoming a generally well-accepted concept, the consensus being that EPOC takes place following prolonged and strenuous exercise bouts. Besides, the role of EPOC in long-term energy balance remains to be determined. Long-term energy balance studies carried out in rats show that exercise affects energy balance by altering food intake and promoting energy expenditure. In male rats exercise causes a marked decrease in energy intake which contributes, in association with the expenditure of exercise itself, to retard lean and fat tissue growth. From the suppressed deposition of lean body mass, decreases in basal metabolic rate can be predicted in males. In female rats, exercise does not affect food intake; the lower energy gain of exercise-trained females results from the elevated expenditure rate associated with exercise itself. In both male and female rats, there is no evidence that exercise training affects energy expenditure other than during exercise itself unless the habitual feeding pattern of the rats is radically modified. The interactive effects of diet and exercise, which have to be further investigated in long-term energy balance, emerge as a promising area of research.     

Leucine-enriched essential amino acid and carbohydrate ingestion following resistance exercise enhances mTOR signaling and protein synthesis in human muscle

We recently showed that resistance exercise and ingestion of essential amino acids with carbohydrate (EAA+CHO) can independently stimulate mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and muscle protein synthesis in humans. Providing an EAA+CHO solution postexercise can further increase muscle protein synthesis. Therefore, we hypothesized that enhanced mTOR signaling might be responsible for the greater muscle protein synthesis when leucine-enriched EAA+CHOs are ingested during postexercise recovery. Sixteen male subjects were randomized to one of two groups (control or EAA+CHO). The EAA+CHO group ingested the nutrient solution 1 h after resistance exercise. mTOR signaling was assessed by immunoblotting from repeated muscle biopsy samples. Mixed muscle fractional synthetic rate (FSR) was measured using stable isotope techniques. Muscle protein synthesis and 4E-BP1 phosphorylation during exercise were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Postexercise FSR was elevated above baseline in both groups at 1 h but was even further elevated in the EAA+CHO group at 2 h postexercise (P < 0.05). Increased FSR was associated with enhanced phosphorylation of mTOR and S6K1 (P < 0.05). Akt phosphorylation was elevated at 1 h and returned to baseline by 2 h in the control group, but it remained elevated in the EAA+CHO group (P < 0.05). 4E-BP1 phosphorylation returned to baseline during recovery in control but became elevated when EAA+CHO was ingested (P < 0.05). eEF2 phosphorylation decreased at 1 and 2 h postexercise to a similar extent in both groups (P < 0.05). Our data suggest that enhanced activation of the mTOR signaling pathway is playing a role in the greater synthesis of muscle proteins when resistance exercise is followed by EAA+CHO ingestion.     

Left ventricular dynamics during recovery from exercise.

Left ventricular dynamics during recovery were measured in dogs, 3 min after brief periods of mild, moderate, and severe treadmill exercise. As compared with resting values, stroke volume was unchanged, and the maximum first derivative of the left ventricular pressure was either unchanged or slightly elevated. Increases in heart rate of 20, 26, and 46 beats/min for mild, moderate, and severe exercise appear to be the major factor in augmenting cardiac output during recovery. With moderate and severe exercise, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter increased and continued to be elevated during recovery, whereas end-systolic diameter decreased during exercise but was elevated above resting values during recovery. Therefore, with strenuous exercise, a sympathetic-mediated increase in contractility recedes promptly during the postexercise period but the Frank-Starling mechanism continues to be a factor.