Relationship between motor-cognitive functions and hemodynamic response of individuals with chronic stroke during and after an acute bout of aerobic exercise

Abstract

Backgroung: Individuals post-stroke commonly presents functional and cardiorespiratory deficits besides a physical inactivity lifestyle in the chronic phase of disease. Considering this, there is a hypothesis that hemodynamic responses could be affected by motor, cognitive and cardiorespiratory deficits during the aerobic exercise. In order to identify functional conditions that can influence the aerobic performance of these individuals, correlations between functional variables and hemodynamic responses during and after the aerobic exercise were studied. As a secondary purpose, the ability of return to hemodynamic resting state were also analyzed. Methods: In this experimental study, after being evaluated about their motor and cognitive function, balance and prognosis, forty participants underwent a 30-minute aerobic exercise session on a treadmill. Training heart rate, arterial blood pressure, oxygen pulse saturation, heart rate, and respiratory rate were measured before begin the exercise session, every five minutes during the exercise and five minutes after it. Results: Cardiorespiratory parameters within normality limits in all phases of the exercise and the capacity of returning to the resting state were observed. Moderate inverse correlations were found between Berg Scale and oxygen pulse saturation (r =-0.401, p = 0.01), between MMSE and diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.406, p = 0.009), age and diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.435, p = 0.005) and between injury time and RR (r = -0.454, p = 0.003). Relationship between the lesion side and the 20 minutes phase of aerobic exercise was also observed (p = 0.042). Conclusion: Post- stroke individuals present moderate correlation between hemodynamic and respiratory responses during aerobic exercise and balance, muscle strength, injury time, age and side of lesion. They also have the capacity to return to their cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular resting state right after the activity besides their cardiorespiratory deficits.