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Characterizing cerebral and locomotor muscle oxygenation to incremental ramp exercise in healthy children: relationship with pulmonary gas exchange

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Abstract

Aims

To characterize the oxygenation responses at cerebral and locomotor muscle level to incremental exercise in children and to assess the interrelationship with the pulmonary gas exchange responses.

Methods

Eighteen children (9 boys, 9 girls) (mean age 10.9 ± 1.0 years) performed incremental cycle ramp exercise to exhaustion. The concentration of cerebral and muscle oxygenated (O2Hb) and deoxygenated (HHb) hemoglobin (by means of near-infrared spectroscopy) and pulmonary gas exchange was recorded. Cerebral and muscle O2Hb and HHb values were expressed as functions of oxygen uptake (VO2) and breakpoints were detected by means of double linear model analysis. The respiratory compensation point (RCP) was determined. The breakpoints in cerebral and muscle O2Hb and HHb were compared and correlated to RCP.

Results

The subjects reached peak power output of 105 ± 18 W and VO2peak of 43.5 ± 7.0 ml min−1 kg−1. Cerebral O2Hb increased to an intensity of 89.4 ± 5.5 %VO2peak, where a breakpoint occurred at which cerebral O2Hb started to decrease. Cerebral HHb increased slightly to 88.1 ± 4.8 %VO2peak, at which the increase was accelerated. Muscle HHb increased to 90.5 ± 4.8 %VO2peak where a leveling-off occurred. RCP occurred at 89.3 ± 4.3 %VO2peak. The breakpoints and RCP did not differ significantly (P = 0.13) and were strongly correlated (r > 0.70, P < 0.05). There were no differences between boys and girls (P = 0.43) and there was no significant correlation with VO2peak (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

It was shown that cerebral and muscle oxygenation responses undergo significant changes as work rate increases and show breakpoints in the ongoing response at high intensity (85–95 %VO2peak). These breakpoints are strongly interrelated and associated with changes in pulmonary gas exchange.

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Abbreviations

CP:

Critical power

GET:

Gas exchange threshold

HHb:

Concentration of deoxygenated hemo- and myoglobin

HR:

Heart rate

MaxLass:

Maximal lactate steady state

MRT:

Mean response time

NIRS:

Near-infrared spectroscopy

O2Hb:

Concentration of oxygenated hemo- and myoglobin

RCP:

Respiratory compensation point

RER:

Respiratory exchange ratio

TotalHb:

Summation of concentration of O2Hb and HHb

VO2 :

Pulmonary oxygen uptake

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Kristof Vandekerckhove, Ilse Coomans & Daniel De Wolf

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Annelies Moerman

  3. Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Jan Boone

  4. Center of Sports Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Jan Boone

Authors
  1. Kristof Vandekerckhove
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  2. Ilse Coomans
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  3. Annelies Moerman
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  4. Daniel De Wolf
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  5. Jan Boone
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jan Boone.

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Communicated by David C. Poole.

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Vandekerckhove, K., Coomans, I., Moerman, A. et al. Characterizing cerebral and locomotor muscle oxygenation to incremental ramp exercise in healthy children: relationship with pulmonary gas exchange. Eur J Appl Physiol 116, 2345–2355 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3486-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-016-3486-8

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