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Here we show that in rats, genetic silencing of the largest population of brainstem vagal preganglionic neurons residing in the brainstem\u2019s dorsal vagal motor nucleus dramatically impairs exercise capacity, while optogenetic recruitment of the same neuronal population enhances cardiac contractility and prolongs exercise endurance. These data provide direct experimental evidence that parasympathetic vagal drive generated by a defined CNS circuit determines the ability to exercise. Decreased activity and\/or gradual loss of the identified neuronal cell group provides a neurophysiological basis for the progressive decline of exercise capacity with aging and in diverse disease states.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1038\/ncomms15097","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,18]],"date-time":"2017-05-18T09:46:50Z","timestamp":1495100810000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":82,"title":["Vagal determinants of exercise capacity"],"prefix":"10.1038","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Asif","family":"Machhada","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0665-4948","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefan","family":"Trapp","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nephtali","family":"Marina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robert C.M.","family":"Stephens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"John","family":"Whittle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mark F.","family":"Lythgoe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sergey","family":"Kasparov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gareth L.","family":"Ackland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3068-491X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexander V.","family":"Gourine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,5,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"BFncomms15097_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.2165\/00007256-200333010-00003","volume":"33","author":"JB Carter","year":"2003","unstructured":"Carter, J. 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