Diego Faria, Renata Moll-Bernardes, Laura Testa, Camila M V Moniz, Erika C Rodrigues, José M S C Mota, Francis R Souza, Maria J N N Alves, Bruna M Ono, João E Izaias, Artur O Sales, Thais S Rodrigues, Vera M C Salemi, Camila P Jordao, Kátia De Angelis, Daniel H Craighead, Matthew J Rossman, Luiz A Bortolotto, Fernanda M Consolim-Colombo, Maria C C Irigoyen, Douglas R Seals, Carlos E Negrão, Allan R K Sales
INTRODUCTION: Previous studies show that COVID-19 survivors have elevated muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), endothelial dysfunction, and aortic stiffening. However, the neurovascular responses to mental stress and exercise are still unexplored. We hypothesized that COVID-19 survivors compared with age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls exhibit abnormal neurovascular responses to mental stress and physical exercise. METHODS: Fifteen severe COVID-19 survivors (aged: 49±2 years, BMI: 30±1 kg/m2 ) and 15 well-matched control subjects (aged: 46±3 years, BMI: 29±1 kg/m2 ) were studied...
July 14, 2023: American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology