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Skin blood flow influences cerebral oxygenation measured by near-infrared spectroscopy during dynamic exercise

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Abstract

Purpose

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is widely used to investigate cerebral oxygenation and/or neural activation during physiological conditions such as exercise. However, NIRS-determined cerebral oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb) may not necessarily correspond to intracranial blood flow during dynamic exercise. To determine the selectivity of NIRS to assess cerebral oxygenation and neural activation during exercise, we examined the influence of changes in forehead skin blood flow (SkBFhead) on NIRS signals during dynamic exercise.

Methods

In ten healthy men (age: 20 ± 1 years), middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (MCA V mean, via transcranial Doppler ultrasonography), SkBFhead (via laser Doppler flowmetry), and cerebral O2Hb (via NIRS) were continuously measured. Each subject performed 60 % maximum heart rate moderate-intensity steady-state cycling exercise. To manipulate SkBFhead, facial cooling using a mist of cold water (~4 °C) was applied for 3 min during steady-state cycling.

Results

MCA V mean significantly increased during exercise and remained unchanged with facial cooling. O2Hb and SkBFhead were also significantly increased during exercise; however, both of these signals were lowered with facial cooling and returned to pre-cooling values with the removal of facial cooling. The changes in O2Hb correlated significantly with the relative percent changes in SkBFhead in each individual (r = 0.71–0.99).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that during dynamic exercise NIRS-derived O2Hb signal can be influenced by thermoregulatory changes in SkBFhead and therefore, may not be completely reflective of cerebral oxygenation or neural activation.

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Abbreviations

ECG:

Electrocardiogram

HHb:

Deoxygenated hemoglobin

HR:

Heart rate

MAP:

Mean arterial pressure

MCA V mean :

Mean blood flow velocity in the left middle cerebral artery

NIRS:

Near-infrared spectroscopy

O2Hb:

Oxygenated hemoglobin

PETCO2 :

End-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide

Q:

Cardiac output

SkBFhead :

Forehead skin blood flow

SV:

Stroke volume

THb:

Total hemoglobin

TOI:

Tissue oxygenation index

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the time and effort spent by our volunteer subjects. This study was supported by the Center for Academic Researches Promotion (Toyo University Research Institution of Industrial Technology, Grant #7).

Conflict of interest

None of the authors have any conflicts of interest associated with this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, Toyo University, 2100 Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama, 350-8585, Japan

    Taiki Miyazawa & Shigehiko Ogoh

  2. Research Institute of Industrial Technology, Toyo University, 2100 Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama, 350-8585, Japan

    Masahiro Horiuchi & Shigehiko Ogoh

  3. Human Technology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8566, Japan

    Hidehiko Komine & Jun Sugawara

  4. Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Paul J. Fadel

  5. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Toyo University, 2100 Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama, 350-8585, Japan

    Shigehiko Ogoh

Authors
  1. Taiki Miyazawa
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  2. Masahiro Horiuchi
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  3. Hidehiko Komine
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  4. Jun Sugawara
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  5. Paul J. Fadel
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  6. Shigehiko Ogoh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shigehiko Ogoh.

Additional information

Communicated by Narihiko Kondo.

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Miyazawa, T., Horiuchi, M., Komine, H. et al. Skin blood flow influences cerebral oxygenation measured by near-infrared spectroscopy during dynamic exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 113, 2841–2848 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-013-2723-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-013-2723-7

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