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Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Assessing Cerebral Autoregulation via Oscillatory Lower Body Negative Pressure and Projection Pursuit Regression
Published on: December 10, 2014
Cerebral moderation of cardiovascular functioning: a functional cerebral systems perspective
Paul S Foster1, Valeria Drago, Brad J Ferguson
1Psychology Department, Middle Tennessee State University, 1500 Greenland Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA.
Brain activity asymmetry in frontal and parietal regions correlates with resting heart rate in men. This suggests cerebral systems influence cardiovascular regulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cardiovascular Physiology
Background:
- Understanding cerebral control of cardiovascular function is crucial.
- Integrating interhemispheric and intrahemispheric balance models offers new insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between frontal and posterior brain activity asymmetry and resting heart rate and blood pressure.
- To test if lateral and longitudinal cerebral asymmetry predicts cardiovascular measures.
Main Methods:
- Electroencephalography (EEG) measuring low and high beta activity.
- Collected resting heart rate and blood pressure data from 42 men during a closed-eyes resting period.
Main Results:
- Found significant correlations between resting heart rate and frontal lobe lateral asymmetry.
- Also observed significant correlations between resting heart rate and frontal-parietal asymmetry.
Conclusions:
- Results support differential associations between left/right frontal and parietal lobes and cardiovascular activity.
- Highlights the importance of a functional cerebral systems perspective in cardiovascular research.
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