Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 51, Issue 5 P261-P267, Copyright © 1996 by The Gerontological Society of America
Cardiovascular response of young and older males to mental challenge
SH Boutcher and D Stocker
University of Wollongong, Australia. S.H. Boutcher@exeter.ac.uk
Blood pressure, heart rate, rate pressure product, heart rate variability,
stroke volume, cardiac output, peripheral resistance, and cardiac
contractility derived from impedance cardiography were obtained from 15
young and 15 old males during and after the Stroop task. The old group
demonstrated significantly higher absolute heart rate, systolic and mean
arterial pressure, peripheral resistance, and rate pressure product, and
lower cardiac output, stroke volume, and heart rate variability both during
and recovering from Stroop. The young group showed significantly greater
relative heart rate increase at the start of Stroop, higher relative levels
of contractility during and recovering, and greater relative levels of
peripheral resistance during and recovering from Stroop. Overall, old
compared to young subjects possessed greater absolute but smaller relative
cardiovascular responses during and recovering from Stroop. These results
suggest that although the aging cardiovasculature may be less reactive, it
may be under greater hemodynamic stress both during rest and mental
challenge.
