NCHPAD is now featuring a series of current articles pertaining to physical activity and disability. Each abstract concludes with practical pointers for research application. View them at http://www.ncpad.org/content/11/Research.
Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Response to Isometric Exercise for Persons with Spinal Cord Injury
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of isometric strength exercise on heart rate and blood pressure in persons with paraplegia. Though typical responses to isometric exercises are increases in both heart rate and blood pressure, this study showed that these responses can be altered in exercisers with spinal cord injuries, where, generally, heart rate increases are slightly diminished and blood pressure increases are all but eliminated in those with injuries below the 12th thoracic vertebrae. While we know that spinal cord injuries have many related secondary and associated conditions, physiological responses may differ among spinal cord injured exercisers and non-injured exercisers. In these cases, it is critical to monitor the physical and emotional signs and symptoms of stress, as using only heart rate and blood pressure may be inadequate indicators of exertion.
Petrofsky, J. S. (2001). Blood pressure and heart rate response to isometric exercise: The effect of spinal cord injury in humans. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 85, 592-595.
Read the entire abstract at http://www.ncpad.org/133/1057/Blood~pressure~and~heart~rate~response~to~isometric~
exercise~~The~effect~of~spinal~cord~injury~in~humans~.
The Effects of Exercise on Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise on children ages 8 to 12 with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the areas of spontaneous eye blinks, acoustic startle eye blink response, and motor impersistence. The level of change observed in the various outcome measures points to an increased spontaneous blink rate, decreased acoustic startle eye blink response, and decreased motor impersistence after maximal exercise in boys with ADHD. Girls with ADHD showed increases in amplitude and decreases in latency of acoustic startle eye blink response after submaximal exercise.
The variance observed in this study suggests that changes in the observed areas are not due to physical fitness, activity history, or personality. While changes in some outcome measures were observed, the meaning behind these changes remains unclear. This study opens the door to future controlled experiments on the effects of exercise on children with ADHD. Eventually, it would be beneficial to see what effects exercise has on children in their functional environments such as school and home.
Tantillo, M., Kesick, C. M., Hynd, G. W., & Dishman, R. K. (2002). The effects of exercise on children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 34(2), 203-212.
Read the entire abstract at http://www.ncpad.org/134/1063/The~effects~of~exercise~on~children~with~attention-deficit~hyperactivity~disorder~.