EXERCISE ACTIVITY AND STRESS-RESISTANCE IN OLDER ADULTS

这项研究计划将检验适度的有氧运动 为老年人增强抗应激能力提供特殊好处 成年人(55-74岁)。具体目标是确定(1)是否 习惯性体力活动缓和情绪和身体健康 应激性生活事件的后果，(2)是否习惯性的身体 活动和年龄与心理生理变化有关。 由实验室应激源引发，(3)如果单次有氧运动 运动改变急性情绪和心理生理反应 实验室应激源，以及(4)有氧运动训练 节目影响情绪幸福感和心理生理 反应性。建议进行三项研究。研究1为前瞻性研究 共192名受试者。最大自行车测功机的健康得分 将使用健康测试和压力生活经历的自我报告 预测情绪失调和身体健康困难 随后的6个月期间。健康和压力之间的相互作用， 这将证实，健身可以缓解 压力，是可以预测的。研究2是一项关于 心理生理功能。具有挑战性的压力源将是 在实验室环境下对144名受试者和心血管疾病患者进行治疗 自主神经功能和脑电(EEG)测量 将检查大脑皮质的激活情况。受试者将参加 无论是静止骑行还是之前20分钟的控制状态 检查自主神经反应性和脑电测量的变化。科目 高健康水平的人(在研究1中评估)预计会表现得更少 自主神经反应性高于低适合度受试者。的单次会议 有氧运动有望改变情绪，产生有益的效果 脑电参数的变化。研究3是一项实验比较 有氧运动计划和柔韧性训练条件。四十 受试者将在每种情况下参加为期16周的测试。依赖 情绪幸福感、身体健康、心理生理指标 在分级运动测试中的反应性和最大耗氧量 将会被检查。有氧训练条件预计将导致 情绪幸福感和减弱的自主神经有更大的改善 反应性强于柔韧性训练条件。总而言之，这些 研究直接测试有氧运动对 增强老年人的抗压能力。

This research program will examine whether moderate aerobic exercise provides specific benefits for building stress-resistance in older adults (ages 55 - 74). The specific aims are to determine (1) if habitual physical activity moderates the emotional and physical health consequences of stressful life events, (2) whether habitual physical activity and age are associated with the psychophysiological changes elicited by laboratory stressors, (3) if a single session of aerobic exercise alters acute mood and psychophysiological responsiveness to laboratory stressors, and (4) whether an aerobic exercise training program influences emotional well-being and psychophysiological reactivity. Three studies are proposed. Study 1 is a prospective study of 192 subjects. Fitness scores from a maximal bicycle ergometer fitness test and self-reports of stressful life experience will be used to predict emotional maladjustment and physical health difficulty over a subsequent 6-month period. Interactions between fitness and stress, which will confirm that fitness moderates the deleterious effects of stress, are predicted. Study 2 is an investigation of psychophysiological functioning. Challenging stressors will be administered in a laboratory setting to 144 subjects, and cardiovascular measures of autonomic functions and electroencephalogram (EEG) measures cortical activation will be examined. The subjects will participate in either a stationary cycling or a control condition for 20 minutes before changes in autonomic reactivity and EEG measures are examined. Subjects with high fitness levels (assessed in Study 1) are expected to show less autonomic reactivity than low-fit subjects. The single session of aerobic exercise is expected to alter mood and produce beneficial changes in EEG parameters. Study 3 is an experimental comparison of an aerobic exercise program and a flexibility training condition. Forty subjects will participate in each condition for 16 weeks. Dependent measures of emotional well-being, physical health, psychophysiological reactivity, and maximal oxygen consumption during a graded exercise test will be examined. The aerobic training condition is expected to lead to greater improvements in emotional well-being and attenuated autonomic reactivity than the flexibility training condition. Collectively, these studies directly test the utility of using aerobic exercise for enhancing stress-resistance in older adults.