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Effect of training on the resting heart rate of rats

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Summary

Adult male rats were progressively trained 5 days/week on a motor-driven treadmill. The training period lasted 12 weeks and consisted of 60 min/day of wind-sprints and endurance work. No significant difference in resting heart rates was observed between the control and exercise groups during week 1 (394±7 vs. 388±5). However, at week 12 the exercise group had a lower resting heart rate (359±6 vs. 331±4). Heart rates observed following saline, propranolol, atropine, and propranolol plus atropine injections were lower in the exercise group in all cases. The difference in heart rates between the control and exercise groups was 19 beats/min following propranolol plus atropine which was less than the 28 beats/min difference observed under control conditions. With atropine and then with propranolol the differences were 33 and 27 beats/min. These heart rate differences were observed without the presence of cardiac hypertrophy as assessed from ventricle weights.

Our data indicate that the bradycardia resulting from exercise training is due primarily to changes other than neural influences on the heart.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Surgery and Kinesiology, University of California, 90024, Los Angeles, California, USA

    R. James Barnard, Ken Corre & Howard Cho

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  1. R. James Barnard
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  2. Ken Corre
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  3. Howard Cho
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Supported by a USPHS Career Development Award HL 00052-01

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Barnard, R.J., Corre, K. & Cho, H. Effect of training on the resting heart rate of rats. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 35, 285–289 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423288

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423288

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