Normative cerebral microvascular blood flow waveform morphology assessed with diffuse correlation spectroscopy

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Tara M Urner, Emory University; Kyle R Cowdrick, Emory University; Rowan O Brothers, Emory University; Tisha Boodooram, Emory University; Hongting Zhao, Emory University; Vidisha Goyal, Emory University; Eashani Sathialingam, Emory University; Ayesha Quadri, Emory University; Katherine Turrentine, Emory University; Mariam M Akbar, Emory University; Sydney E Triplett, Emory University; Shasha Bai, Emory University; Erin Buckley, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-07-01
• Publisher: Optica Publishing Group
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2023 Optica Publishing Group
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/BOE.489760
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 7
• Start Page: 3635
• End Page: 3653
• Grant/Funding Information: National Science Foundation10.13039/100000001 (DGE-1650044); National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute10.13039/100000050 (5R01HL152322-03); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke10.13039/100000065 (1R01NS130036-01).
• Keywords: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging; Optics; Biochemical Research Methods; INTRACRANIAL-PRESSURE; Physical Sciences; AGE; CRITICAL CLOSING PRESSURE; TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER; Science & Technology; REFERENCE VALUES; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; DOPPLER PULSATILITY INDEX; VELOCITY; SEX; PERFUSION
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Radiology; Engineering, Biomedical; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Microvascular cerebral blood flow exhibits pulsatility at the cardiac frequency that carries valuable information about cerebrovascular health. This study used diffuse correlation spectroscopy to quantify normative features of these waveforms in a cohort of thirty healthy adults. We demonstrate they are sensitive to changes in vascular tone, as indicated by pronounced morphological changes with hypercapnia. Further, we observe significant sex-based differences in waveform morphology, with females exhibiting higher flow, greater area-under-the-curve, and lower pulsatility. Finally, we quantify normative values for cerebral critical closing pressure, i.e., the minimum pressure required to maintain flow in a given vascular region.