We evaluated cerebral perfusion, oxygenation, and metabolism in eleven young (age 22 ± 1 years) and nine older (age 66 ± 2 years) individuals at rest and during cycling exercise at low (25% W(max)), moderate (50% W(max)), high (75% W(ma)) and exhaustive (100% W(max)) workloads. Mean middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCA V(mean)), mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac output (CO) and the partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)) were measured. Blood samples were obtained from the right internal jugular vein and brachial artery to determine concentration differences for oxygen (O(2)), glucose and lactate across the brain. The molar ratio between the cerebral uptake of O(2) versus carbohydrate (O(2)-carbohydrate index; O(2) / [glucose + 0.5 lactate]; OCI), the cerebral metabolic rate of O(2) (CMRO(2)) and changes in mitochondrial O(2) tension (P(mito)O(2)) were calculated. W(max) was ~33% lower in the older group. Exercise increased MAP and CO in both groups (P