Self-regulation of cerebral blood flow by means of transcranial Doppler sonography biofeedback.
BACKGROUND
Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) allows the continuous non-invasive assessment of intracranial blood flow velocities with high temporal resolution. It may therefore prove suitable for biofeedback of cerebral perfusion.


OBJECTIVE
The study explored whether healthy individuals can successfully be trained in self-regulation of cerebral blood flow using TCD biofeedback.


METHODS
Twenty-two subjects received visual feedback of flow velocities in the middle cerebral arteries of both hemispheres. They were randomly assigned to two groups, one of which attempted to increase, the other to decrease the signal within eight training sessions. Heart rate and respiratory frequency were also monitored.


RESULTS
Both groups achieved significant changes in flow velocities in the expected directions. Modulations in heart rate and respiratory frequency during biofeedback did not account for these effects.


CONCLUSIONS
TCD biofeedback enables efficient self-regulation of cerebral blood flow. It is promising in applications such as the treatment of migraine and post-stroke rehabilitation.
Department of Psychology, University of Munich, Germany. duschek@psy.uni-muenchen.de
Stefan
S
Duschek
Daniel
D
Schuepbach
Anselm
A
Doll
Natalie S
NS
Werner
Gustavo A
GA
Reyes del Paso
D000328:Adult; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology / Q000379:methods / Q000502:physiology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D056152:Respiratory Rate / Q000502:physiology; D012927:Social Control, Informal / Q000379:methods*; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial / Q000379:methods*