title: Cognitive tasks and cerebral blood flow through anterior cerebral arteries: a study via functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound recordings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Functional transcanial Doppler ultrasound (fTCD) is a convenient approach to examine cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) in major cerebral arteries.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) was insonated on both sides, that is, right ACA (R-ACA) and left ACA (L-ACA). The envelope signals (the maximum velocity) and the raw signals were analyzed during cognitive processes, i.e. word-generation tasks, geometric tasks and resting state periods separating each task. Data which were collected from 20 healthy participants were used to investigate the changes and the hemispheric functioning while performing cognitive tasks. Signal characteristics were analyzed in time domain, frequency domain and time-frequency domain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant results have been obtained through the use of both classic/modern methods (i.e. envelope/raw, time and frequency/information-theoretic and time-frequency domains). The frequency features extracted from the raw signals highlighted sex effects on cerebral blood flow which revealed distinct brain response during each process and during resting periods. In the time-frequency analysis, the distribution of wavelet energies on the envelope signals moved around the low frequencies during mental processes and did not experience any lateralization during cognitive tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even if no lateralization effects were noticed during resting-state, verbal and geometric tasks, understanding CBFV in ACA during cognitive tasks could complement information extracted from cerebral blood flow in middle cerebral arteries during similar cognitive tasks (i.e. sex effects).
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Héloïse
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bleton
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Subashan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. esejdic@ieee.org.
authors.forename: Ervin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sejdić
mesh_terms: D020771:Anterior Cerebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anterior cerebral arteries; Cerebral blood flow; Functional transcanial Doppler ultrasound; Signal processing