title: The effects of cerebral white matter changes on cardiovascular responses to cognitive and physical activity in a stroke population.
abstract: Autonomic nervous system (ANS) control may be disrupted by cerebrovascular disease. We investigated the relationship between alterations in white matter integrity and regulation of the ANS in 23 participants who sustained a stroke within 5 years. These participants underwent diffusion tensor imaging, and fractional anisotropy values were calculated (DTI-FA) for each hemisphere and lobe. Cognitive and physical exertion tasks were performed while recording an electrocardiogram. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) decreased more during a verbal fluency task with lower left hemisphere DTI-FA. Further, the physical stressor yielded decreases in RSA with lower frontal DTI-FA and higher temporal lobe DTI-FA, p < .05 (perhaps a release effect on the central autonomic network). Decrements in ANS regulation may have functional consequences that alter behavior, as well as potentially increasing the risk for further vascular disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0236, USA. john.williamson@neurology.ufl.edu
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Nyenhuis
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Stebbins
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Handelman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Harden
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Heilman
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Gorelick
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Porges
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology