Sex Differences and Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Adaptation to Exercise

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My overall research objective is to understand how exercise affects cardiovascular adaptation. To address this objective, my research program focuses on human physiology specific to three aims. The first aim explores the exercise dose response for cardiac and arterial structural changes, and how these adaptations interact to alter cardiovascular performance. The second aim addresses the role of biological sex, and whether cardiovascular adaptation differs between women and men. The third aim of my research evaluates biomarkers and genotypes associated with cardiovascular adaptation to exercise. ****** My scientific approach involves the use of physiological stressors, which alter loading to the heart (i.e., strenuous exercise or lower body negative pressure), which can be used to assess how these adaptations influence cardiac performance. Further, I will initiate longitudinal studies tracking exercise-induced adaptation from the time of initiation (i.e., start of committed exercise training) relative to the cardiovascular development occurring naturally. Advanced echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging techniques will be used to document cardiac and arterial structure, and impact on cardiac mechanics. Biomarkers and DNA will be extracted from plasma samples and analyzed through appropriate immunoassay or quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) techniques.****** The significance of my research program will be apparent through developing a greater understanding of how exercise influences development in the healthy heart. Through the use of advanced imaging techniques and analysis of ventricular-vascular interactions, this research represents a novel approach to investigating cardiovascular adaptation in humans.