Sex Differences and Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Adaptation to Exercise

我的总体研究目标是了解运动如何影响心血管适应。为了解决这一目标，我的研究计划侧重于人类生理学，具体到三个目标。第一个目标是探索心脏和动脉结构变化的运动剂量反应，以及这些适应如何相互作用来改变心血管性能。第二个目标是解决生物性别的作用，以及男女之间的心血管适应是否有所不同。我研究的第三个目的是评估与运动心血管适应相关的生物标记物和基因类型。我的科学方法涉及到使用生理应激源，这些应激源会改变心脏的负荷(即剧烈运动或降低身体负压)，这可以用来评估这些适应如何影响心脏性能。此外，我将启动纵向研究，跟踪运动诱导的适应从开始时(即开始承诺的运动训练)相对于自然发生的心血管发育。先进的超声心动图和心脏磁共振成像技术将被用来记录心脏和动脉的结构，以及对心脏力学的影响。生物标志物和DNA将从血浆样本中提取，并通过适当的免疫分析或定量聚合酶链式反应(QPCR)技术进行分析。*我的研究计划的意义将通过更好地了解运动如何影响健康心脏的发育而显而易见。通过使用先进的成像技术和分析心室-血管相互作用，这项研究代表了一种新的方法来研究人类的心血管适应。

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.