Transfer function analysis of gender-related differences in cerebral autoregulation

Xue Wang, Shantha Krishnamurthy, Joyce Evans, Divyesh Bhakta, Larry Justice, Eugene Bruce, Abhijit Patwardhan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Effects of gender in cardiovascular regulation are widely investigated, however differences in cerebral autoregulation (CA) between genders remains less explored. In the present study, we used spectral analysis to analyze differences in cerebral autoregulation between 10 men and 10 age-matched women. Subjects rested in a supine position (20 min) and then were passively tilted to a 70-degree head up tilt position (30 min). During the first 10 min of supine they breathed only room air (Supine Control) while during the second 10 min of supine they breathed room air or room air plus 5%CO2 in a Pseudo Random Binary Sequence (PRBS) (Supine PRBS). During the first 10 min of tilt, subjects breathed room air or room air plus 5% CO2 switched in a PRBS (Tilt PRBS). For the remaining 20 min of tilt, they breathed only room air (Tilt Control). Blood pressure (BP) and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) were non-invasively recorded using Finapres and Transcranial Doppler. Coherence and transfer function between mean BP and mean CBFV were estimated. During Supine Control, women had higher coherence (p<0.05) and transfer function gain (p<0.01) within 0.03-0.10 Hz and 0.22-0.31Hz than men. During tilt, coherence within 0.05-0.26 Hz were higher in men than in women (P<0.02). Although the reasons for these gender-related differences in cerebral autoregulation remain unclear, our results suggest that in investigating cerebral autoregulation, gender may need to be considered as a factor. Supported by a National Institutes of Health grant HL65735.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)48-53
Number of pages6
JournalBiomedical Sciences Instrumentation
Volume41
StatePublished - 2005

Keywords

  • Cerebral autoregulation
  • Cerebral blood flow
  • Gender differences
  • Head up tilt
  • Spectral analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Medical Laboratory Technology

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