Work

Application of radial artery signal characteristics in long-term head-down bed rest experimental cardiovascular status assessment

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Objective This study aims to observe pulse graph parameters and their dynamic changes in subjects of the head-down bed rest (HDBR) under different exercise interventions and to evaluate their application value in simulating cardiovascular function changes in weightlessness. Methods A total of 36 male volunteers (32.0 ± 2.6 years) participated in a 138-day experiment (15 days at baseline, 90 days at -6° HDBR, and 33 days at recovery). Radial pulse graphs were collected at 11 time points: the baseline, D7, D15, D30, D45, D60, D75, D90 during bedrest, and R + 7, R + 15, and R + 30 during the recovery. Cardiac structural and functional parameters, along with arterial elasticity and blood flow parameters, were recorded simultaneously. The feasibility of TCM pulse diagnosis for assessing cardiovascular status in HDBR subjects was explored through correlation analyses between pulse parameters and ultrasound indicators. Results (1) During bedrest, pulse parameters h 1 , h 3 , h 4 , t 5 , t, As, Ad, and h 4 /h 1 showed an upward trend and decreased during the recovery stage. PWVρ, crPWV, LICAvmax, and LFAvmax increased initially and then decreased, whereas IMT showed a sustained increase. (2) The aerobic exercise plus resistance training group showed faster adaption to HDBR and better cardiovascular functional recovery after long-term HDBR. (3) Canonical correlation and bivariate correlation analyses showed varying degrees of correlation between the two types of indicators, with some correlation coefficients >0.7 ( P < 0.05). (4) Repeated measurements showed statistically significant differences in pulse graph parameters, with cfPWV, crPWV, and PWVρ showing an increasing trend followed by a decrease. Conclusion Cardiovascular changes induced by HDBR can be reflected in pulse graph parameters; radial pulse wave parameters may serve as valuable references for the dynamic monitoring and assessment of cardiovascular function under simulated weightlessness.

Source: Frontiers in Physiology

DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2026.1961052