A cerebral hemisphere influence on cutaneous vasomotor reflexes in humans.
Cutaneous vasomotor reflexes (CVR), the transient waves of cutaneous vasoconstriction after stimuli, such as a cough, were recorded from the digits of patients with unilateral frontoparietal lesions using a laser doppler flowmeter. Vasoconstriction was 6-15 times greater on the fingers contralateral to the lesions, an effect which was independent of the temperature difference between limbs. CVRs may be tonically inhibited under normal circumstances by control from the cerebral hemispheres.
Herbaut
A G
AG
Service de Neurologie, Hopital Erasme, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.
Cole
J D
JD
Sedgwick
E M
EM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000502:physiology*; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000502:physiology*