The role of cerebral blood flow volume in cortical inhibition during postural changes

TL;DR

This study explores how posture changes affect brain blood flow and electrical activity, suggesting that increased blood flow in a supine position may lead to reduced brain activity, especially in men.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel method combining EEG and REG to investigate the relationship between cerebral blood flow and cortical inhibition during postural changes.

Findings

Male participants showed a significant drop in alpha wave power when transitioning to a supine position.

Dynamic tilting had mixed effects on brain activity and minimal impact on cerebral blood flow.

Strong negative correlations between cerebral blood flow and alpha wave power were observed in men but not in women.

Abstract

This study investigated how body posture impacts cerebral hemodynamics and brain bioelectrical activity, aiming to understand the mechanisms by which increased cerebral blood flow in a supine position might lead to cortical inhibition, potentially indicated by a reduction in alpha wave presence. The study also explored the neurovascular effects of dynamic tilting. Simultaneous electroencephalographic (EEG) and rheoencephalographic (REG) recordings were conducted on 40 healthy participants (mean age = 21.3 ± 1.4 years; 20 men and 20 women) during two postural tests. In Test 1, participants transitioned between sitting upright and lying supine. Test 2 followed a similar design, with the addition of dynamic tilting through passive oscillations between +10° and −10° on a tilt table. Results indicated that REG parameters –specifically rheographic wave amplitude (RWA), venous outflow (VO), and catacrotic time (CT) –increased notably in the supine position, particularly among male participants. In Test 1, men also exhibited a pronounced drop in alpha absolute spectral power (Pα) when moving from upright to supine, while Pα remained relatively stable in women. In Test 2, Pα showed minimal changes among men, whereas moderate reductions were observed in women, mainly in the supine position following dynamic tilting. Significant sex differences were noted in RWA, VO, and Pα, with these values generally higher in female participants. A strong negative correlation between RWA and Pα was observed in the male group during Test 1, with a similar but weaker trend in women. In Test 2, a negative correlation between RWA and Pα re-emerged in both groups, though it did not reach statistical significance. These findings suggest that baroreflex activity may be the primary driver of cortical inhibition, with changes in cerebral blood flow volume potentially playing a secondary role. Dynamic tilting had minimal impact on brain blood flow and mixed effects on Pα, though results may hint at a possible interference with baroreflex responses, which could attenuate cortical inhibition. Overall, this study demonstrates the use of combined REG and EEG during postural transitions as a tool for investigating the interaction between cerebral blood flow and brain activity. These findings and the methods used may have clinical relevance as a potential diagnostic approach for disorders involving impaired baroreflex function.

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