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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Laser Doppler Perfusion Imaging in the Mouse Hindlimb
Published on: April 18, 2021
Laser Doppler mapping of lower limb skin perfusion before and 5 h after exercise in warm conditions
Jose I Priego-Quesada1,2, Emma Rebollar-Cuenca1, Carlos Galindo-González2
1Research Group in Sports Biomechanics (GIBD), Department of Physical Education and Sports, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain.
Introduction:
Although the use of laser Doppler perfusion imaging has a potential application to monitor internal load associated to exercise, its use in sport science is scarce and the relatively long scanning time required for each region of interest may constrain its use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of running on skin perfusion five hours after exercise across different regions of interest in the lower limbs, and to examine the relationship between these perfusion responses and changes in other physiological and environmental outcomes.
Methods:
A total of 22 volunteers were divided into two groups: an exercise group, which performed a 50-min outdoor run between measurements, and a control group. Skin perfusion (laser Doppler perfusion imaging device, moorLDI2) and skin temperature (infrared thermography, Flir E54) in 6 regions of interest (anterior thigh, anterior knee, anterior leg, posterior thigh, posterior knee and posterior leg), heart rate and heart rate variability (Polar H10) and estimated core temperature (heat flux, Calera Research) were measured before and 5 hours after running in an outdoor temperature of 28 -31 °C.
Results:
The exercise group presented a higher increase of skin perfusion than the control group for the anterior thigh (95%CI[7, 58%], p=0.02 and ES = 1.0), anterior leg (95%CI[1, 79%], p=0.04 and ES = 0.3), and posterior thigh (95%CI[8, 56%], p<0.01 and ES = 0.5). A regression model obtained (R2 = 0.22) showed how a greater increase in skin perfusion was associated with a higher maximum estimated core temperature during exercise, a higher variation of estimated core temperature at rest and a higher variation of skin temperature.
Discussion:
The posterior leg was one of the ROIs with the greatest skin perfusion increase. In conclusion, the anterior thigh can be considered the most appropriate region for evaluating post-exercise skin perfusion responses following aerobic running under warm environmental conditions. These responses are primarily related to the thermal stress generated by the exercise and the environmental conditions.
