Despite accumulation of a substantial body of literature supporting the role of exercise on frontal lobe functioning, relatively less is understood of the interconnectivity of ventromedial prefrontal cortical (vmPFC) regions that underpin cardio-autonomic regulation predict cardiac chronotropic competence (CC) in response to sub-maximal exercise. Eligibility of 161 adults (mean age = 48.6, SD = 18.3, 68% female) was based upon completion of resting state brain scan and sub-maximal bike test. Sliding window analysis of the resting state signal was conducted over 45-s windows, with 50% overlap, to assess how changes in photoplethysmography-derived HRV relate to vmPFC functional connectivity with the whole brain. CC was assessed based upon heart rate (HR) changes during submaximal exercise (HR change /HRmax (206–0.88 × age) – HRrest). During states of elevated HRV the vmPFC showed greater rsFC with an 83-voxel region of the hypothalamus (p < 0.001, uncorrected). Beta estimates of vmPFC connectivity extracted from a 6-mm sphere around this region emerged as the strongest predictor of CC (b = 0.283, p <.001) than age, BMI, and resting HRV (8,144) = 6.30, <.001. Extensive glutamatergic innervation of the hypothalamus by the vmPFC allows for top-down control of the hypothalamus and its various autonomic efferents which facilitate chronotropic response during sub-maximal exercise

中文翻译：

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皮质和皮质下中央自主中枢的动态迷走神经介导的连接预测健康成年人对次最大运动的变时反应

尽管积累了大量文献支持运动对额叶功能的作用，但对腹内侧前额叶皮质 (vmPFC) 区域的互连性了解相对较少，这些区域支持心脏自主调节，预测心脏变时能力 (CC) 响应亚-最大程度的运动。161 名成年人（平均年龄 = 48.6，SD = 18.3，68% 为女性）的资格取决于静息状态脑部扫描和次最大自行车测试的完成情况。在 45 秒窗口内对静息态信号进行滑动窗口分析，重叠 50%，以评估光电体积描记法得出的 HRV 变化与 vmPFC 与整个大脑的功能连接之间的关系。CC 根据次最大运动期间的心率 (HR) 变化进行评估（HR 变化/HRmax (206–0.88 × 年龄) – HRrest）。在 HRV 升高的状态下，vmPFC 显示出更大的 rsFC，其中下丘脑的 83 体素区域（p < 0.001，未校正）。从该区域周围的 6 毫米球体中提取的 vmPFC 连接性的 Beta 估计值是比年龄、BMI 和静息 HRV (8,144) = 6.30, <.001 更强的 CC 预测因子 (b = 0.283, p <.001)。vmPFC 对下丘脑的广泛谷氨酸能神经支配允许对下丘脑及其各种自主传出神经进行自上而下的控制，从而促进次最大运动期间的变时反应