[EFFECT OF VOLUNTARY BREATH-HOLDING AND COGNITIVE LOADS ON REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND BIOELECTRIC ACTIVITY OF...

Cerebral blood flow and bioelectric activity were studied in 10 normal volunteers in order to assess cerebrovascular reactivity during different types of functional testing. The transcranial Doppler was used to measure linear blood velocity (LBV) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) during maximal voluntary breath-holding (apnea), controlled verbal association test and tactile memory test. Simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) registered the bioelectric activity of the brain cortex. Both investigations were performed continuously in the course of each test. Breath-holding induced a smooth symmetric increase of CMA blood velocity; LBV rose to maximum values in the majority of the volunteered subjects. Two subjects with small focal changes in the brain's white matter displayed an asymmetric blood flow reaction to apnea. Gain in LBV was materially less during the cognitive tests; the verbal test decreased LBV in one half of the subjects and increased LBV in the other. The tactile memory test increased LBV which was particularly high in the left CMA of all subjects. LBV dynamics during the cognitive tests was essentially different from what was observed in apnea. Blood flow variations in the course of equally the verbal and tactile tests had a regular undulatory character. Concurrent LBV and EEG monitoring made it possible to compare and contrast dynamics of the cerebral blood velocity and bioelectric activity directly during testing and thus to reveal peculiar reactions of the cerebral blood flow to cognitive and physiological testing.