Hyperthermia does not alter the increase in cerebral perfusion during cognitive activation

Zachary J. Schlader, Rebekah A I Lucas, James Pearson, Craig G. Crandall

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that hyperthermia attenuates the increase in cerebral perfusion during cognitive activation. Mean middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAVmean) served as an index of cerebral perfusion, while the nBack test (a test of working memory) was the cognitive task. Hyperthermia was characterized by elevations (P < 0.001) in skin (by 5.0 ± 0.8°C) and intestinal temperatures (by 1.3 ± 0.1°C) and reductions (P < 0.020) in mean arterial pressure (by 11 ± 10 mmHg), end-tidal CO2 tension (by 3 ± 6 mmHg) and MCAVmean (by 10 ± 9 cm s-1). Hyperthermia had no influence on nBack test performance (mean difference from normothermia to hyperthermia, -1 ± 11%; P= 0.276) or, counter to the hypothesis, the increase in MCAVmean during nBack testing (mean difference from normothermia to hyperthermia: 0 ± 16 cm s-1; P= 0.608). These findings indicate that the capacity to increase cerebral perfusion during cognitive activation is unaffected by hyperthermia.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1597-1607
Number of pages11
JournalExperimental Physiology
Volume98
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Physiology (medical)

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