Figure 11.

The change in total, myogenic, metabolic, and autonomic stimuli in response to exercise. The gray bars show the net total change in stimulus in each layer exercising compared to rest conditions. The individual contributors to the stimuli signal—myogenic, autonomic, and metabolic—sum to the total in each layer. The total stimulus in the subepicardium is higher in exercise than in rest, resulting in an increased activation. The primary contributor to the increased activation in the subepicardium in exercise is the myogenic stimulus. In the subendocardium exercise causes an overall reduction in vascular tone, caused by a combination of metabolic and autonomic stimuli.