Which of the following do not increase in isotonic exercise?
High-Yield Explanation
Ans. B. Total peripheral resistance. (Ref. Ganong 23rd/pg. 80-81; Guyton 11th/pg. 80)During exercise, sympathetic stimulation of the heart increases contractility; and thus stroke volume. A decrease in venous compliance, caused by sympathetic stimulation, increases venous return to the heart; which also increases stroke volume by a Frank-Starling mechanism. The increased stroke volume, coupled with an increase in heart rate, cause an increase in cardiac output Systemic arterial pressure also increases in response to the increase in cardiac output. However, the fall in total peripheral resistance, which is caused by dilation of the blood vessels within the exercising muscles, results in a decrease in diastolic pressure. The pulmonary vessels undergo passive dilation as more blood flows into the pulmonary circulation. As a result, pulmonary vascular resistance decreases.Additional Educational points:Isometric Versus Isotonic Contraction# Muscle contraction is said to be isometric when the muscle does not shorten during contraction and isotonic when it does shorten but the tension on the muscle remains constant throughout the contraction.# In the isometric system, the muscle contracts against a force transducer without decreasing the muscle length. In the isotonic system, the muscle shortens against a fixed load. The characteristics of isotonic contraction depend on the load against which the muscle contracts, as well as the inertia of the load. However, the isometric system records strictly changes in force of muscle contraction itself. Therefore, the isometric system is most often used when comparing the functional characteristics of different muscle types.