High-but not moderate-intensity exercise acutely attenuates hypercapnia-induced vasodilation of the internal carotid artery in young men

Purpose Exercise-induced increases in shear rate (SR) across different exercise intensities may differentially affect hypercapnia-induced vasodilation of the internal carotid artery (ICA), a potential index of cerebrovascular function. We aimed to elucidate the effects of exercise intensity on ICA SR during exercise and post-exercise hypercapnia-induced vasodilation of the ICA in young men. Methods Twelve healthy men completed 30 min of cycling at moderate [MIE; 65 ± 5% of age-predicted maximal heart rate (HR max )] and high (HIE; 85 ± 5% HR max ) intensities. Hypercapnia-induced vasodilation was induced by 3 min of hypercapnia (target end-tidal partial pressure of CO 2 + 10 mmHg) and was assessed at pre-exercise, 5 min and 60 min after exercise. Doppler ultrasound was used to measure ICA diameter and blood velocity during exercise and hypercapnia tests. Results SR was not altered during either exercise (interaction and main effects of time; both P > 0.05). ICA conductance decreased during HIE from resting values (5.1 ± 1.3 to 3.2 ± 1.0 mL·min −1 ·mmHg −1 ; P < 0.01) but not during MIE (5.0 ± 1.3 to 4.0 ± 0.8 mL·min −1 ·mmHg −1 ; P = 0.11). Consequently, hypercapnia-induced vasodilation declined immediately after HIE (6.9 ± 1.7% to 4.0 ± 1.4%; P < 0.01), but not after MIE (7.2 ± 2.1% to 7.3 ± 1.8%; P > 0.05). Sixty minutes after exercise, hypercapnia-induced vasodilation returned to baseline values in both trials (MIE 8.0 ± 3.1%; HIE 6.4 ± 2.9%; both P > 0.05). Conclusion The present study showed blunted hypercapnia-induced vasodilation of the ICA immediately after high-intensity exercise, but not a moderate-intensity exercise in young men. Given that the acute response is partly linked to the adaptive response in the peripheral endothelial function, the effects of aerobic training on cerebrovascular health may vary depending on exercise intensity.