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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Non-invasive Optical Measurement of Cerebral Metabolism and Hemodynamics in Infants
Published on: March 14, 2013
Quantitative study on cerebral blood volume determined by a near-infrared spectroscopy during postural change in
Yasuko Taeja Kim1, Hidetaka Tanaka, Ryuzo Takaya
1Department of Pediatrics, Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan. y.t.kim@vesta.ocn.ne.jp
Insights
Children with abnormal cardiovascular responses to standing experience a greater reduction in cerebral blood volume, indicating impaired cerebral autoregulation. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) quantifies these changes in cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Orthostatic stress challenges the cardiovascular system, potentially affecting cerebral blood volume.
- Understanding cerebral blood volume regulation in children is crucial for identifying potential autonomic dysfunction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in cerebral blood volume during standing in children.
- To compare cerebral blood volume responses between children with normal and abnormal cardiovascular responses to orthostatic stress.
Main Methods:
- Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to non-invasively measure cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (deoxy-Hb).
- Beat-to-beat arterial pressure was monitored using Portapres.
- 53 children aged 10-15 years were studied during active standing.
Main Results:
- Children with abnormal cardiovascular responses (Group II) showed a significantly larger decrease in oxy-Hb upon standing compared to those with normal responses (Group I).
- Group II exhibited a marked reduction in oxy-Hb during the first 7 minutes of standing.
- Changes in oxy-Hb were not correlated with blood pressure changes.
Conclusions:
- Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can quantitatively assess cerebral blood volume changes during orthostatic stress in children.
- Children with abnormal circulatory responses to standing demonstrate impaired cerebral autoregulation, evidenced by reduced oxy-Hb levels.
Aim:
To investigate changes in cerebral blood volume during standing in healthy children with or without abnormal cardiovascular responses.
Methods:
We studied 53 children (age, 10-15 years). Cerebral oxygenated haemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxygenated Hb (deoxy-Hb) were non-invasively and continuously measured using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) (NIRO 300, Hamamatsu Photomedics, Shizuoka, Japan) during active standing. Beat-to-beat arterial pressure was monitored by Portapres.
Results:
Of 49 children with complete data acquisition, 33 had a normal cardiovascular response to the test (Group I) and 16 showed an abnormal response (Group II); nine with instantaneous orthostatic hypotension, three with postural tachycardia syndrome, three with neutrally mediated syncope and one with delayed orthostatic hypotension. At the onset of standing, Group II showed a significantly larger fall of oxy-Hb than Group I did (-2.9 +/- 2.8 micromol/L vs. -6.4 +/- 7.2 micromol/L, respectively, p < 0.05). During min 1 to 7 of standing, with one exception, changes in oxy-Hb were normally distributed over the level of -4 micromol/L in Group I. Group II also showed a significantly marked decrease in oxy-Hb compared to Group I. Decreases in oxy-Hb were not correlated with blood pressure changes.
Conclusion:
This study shows that precise change in cerebral blood volume caused by orthostatic stress can be determined by NIRS in children in a quantitative manner of NIRS. Children with abnormal circulatory responses to standing showed a significant reduction of oxy-Hb compared with normal counterparts, suggesting impairment of cerebral autoregulation in these children.
