Autonomic regulation of heart rate response to exercise in Tibetan and Han residents of Lhasa (3,658 m)

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that native high-altitude residents have less beta-sympathetic and more parasympathetic tone than newcomers, we compared the effects of beta-sympathetic and parasympathetic blockade in 10 Tibetan and 9 Han acclimatized male residents of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China (elevation 3,658 m). Each subject was studied during cycle ergometer exercise at 70, 132, and 191 W after placebo (normal saline), beta-sympathetic (propranolol, 0.2 mg/kg iv), or parasympathetic (atropine, 0.04 mg/kg iv) blockade in random order on different days. At rest, the fall in resting heart rate with propranolol and the rise with atropine were equal in Tibetan and Han subjects. During exercise, the fall in heart rate with propranolol relative to placebo values was greater in the Han than in the Tibetan group, whereas the rise in heart rate with atropine was greater in the Tibetans. Propranolol or atropine administration did not change minute ventilation per unit O2 consumption in either group. At the highest level of exercise on the placebo day, the Tibetans achieved a higher work load and level of O2 consumption than the Han subjects. Propranolol or atropine reduced O2 consumption and work load similarly in the two groups at the highest exercise level. The results supported our hypothesis that native Tibetan residents of high altitude exhibit more para-sympathetic and less beta-sympathetic tone during exercise. Neither relatively greater parasympathetic nor less sympathetic activation appeared implicated in the greater exercise capacity of Tibetans compared with that of acclimatized newcomer residents of high altitude.