Training and bradycardia in rats

Abstract

Bradycardia produced by training was investigated in 228 mature male rats belonging to normal, vagotomized, diencephalon-lesioned, immunological sympathectomized, and hypophysectomized groups. During a 70-day experimental period, resting heart rates of trained unanesthetized rats were significantly lower than those of non-trained rats at approximately 40 days after the training program had been initiated. Resting heart rates were correlated with body weight, wet and dry heart weight, percentage of solids, and the heart weight/body weight ratio (heart ratio). Several coefficients were statistically significant but the majority of the coefficients were below ±0.60 and exhibited a low relationship between the various parameters. Heart ratios for the trained vagotomized, diencephalon-lesioned, and immunological sympathectomized were significantly lower than the ratios from normal trained animals. Similar trends were observed with the nontrained subgroups when these ratios were compared with normal nontrained animals. The only exercising group that exhibited statistical evidence for cardiac hypertrophy was the normal trained group. It was concluded that other aspects beside the weight of the heart must be considered in any satisfactory explanation for this form of bradycardia.