Simple strategies such as walking and somatic afferent stimulation (e.g., stroking skin or acupuncture) may improve autonomic function and increase cortical blood flow in the elderly.
Do walking and somatic afferent stimulation improve autonomic function in the elderly?
Walking and somatic afferent stimulation may offer simple strategies to improve age-related declines in autonomic nervous system function.
There are significant age-related changes in autonomic nervous system function that are responsible for an impaired ability to adapt to environmental or intrinsic visceral stimuli in the elderly. We review data on changes in autonomic nervous system regulation of cardiovascular and urinary function, as well as data on strategies to improve function. There are data showing alterations in peripheral and central autonomic nerve activity, and decreases in neurotransmitter receptor action that lead to diminished autonomic reactivity (e.g. blood pressure and cerebral blood flow regulation) and poorly coordinated autonomic discharge (e.g. bladder function). Simple strategies for autonomic function improvement and increasing cortical blood flow include walking and somatic afferent stimulation (e.g. stroking skin or acupuncture) to increase sympathetic, parasympathetic and central cholinergic activity.
Hotta et al. (2010) conducted a review in Age-related changes in autonomic nervous system function. Somatic afferent stimulation and walking was evaluated. Simple strategies such as walking and somatic afferent stimulation (e.g., stroking skin or acupuncture) may improve autonomic function and increase cortical blood flow in the elderly.