Session Information
Date: Thursday, November 14, 2019
Session Title: Neurological Rehabilitation Research Report
Session Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm
Location: Research Hub - Kiosk 6
Disclosures: Stephen X. Bai, MD: Nothing to disclose
Objective: To test whether cerebral blood flow response to moderate intensity exercise is different in individuals 3 months post stroke between the stroke affected and non-affected middle cerebral artery (MCA).
Design: Cohort Study
Setting: Academic Medical Center
Participants: Individuals aged 35-95 who suffered a unilateral ischemic MCA stroke, had documented proof of < 70% stenosis of the carotid arteries, and were able to walk at least 10 meters at modified-independent or independent level.
Interventions: Using transcranial Doppler ultrasound, we measured MCA velocity (MCAv) at rest and during moderate intensity exercise at 3 months post-stroke.
Main Outcome Measures: Cerebral blood flow as estimated by transcranial Doppler measurement of middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv). Response measures included baseline (BL) MCAv, response amplitude (Amp), time delay (TD), time constant (τ), and steady state response (CVR).
Results: For the 12 participants with bilateral MCAv data, no significant differences were found between the variables of interest. BL MCAv for the stroke affected side was 53.3+17.4 cm*sec-1 compared to the non-affected side 56.2+15.8 cm*sec-1, P=.27. TD following exercise onset for stroke affected versus non-affected MCA were 64.7+33.9s and 50.3.0+41.5s, respectively (P=.12). τ (time-to-63% of the steady-state response) for stroke affected versus non-affected MCA were 39.9+52.4s and 28.4+19.8s, respectively (P=.56). The Amp above BL MCAv for stroke affected versus non-affected MCA were 6.1+5.1 and 6.4+5.3 cm*sec-1, respectively (P=.88). CVR for stroke affected versus non-affected MCA was 5.5+4.7 cm*sec-1 and 7.4+6.0 cm*sec-1, respectively (P=.19).
Conclusions: Though not statistically significant with the few patients we had, the stroke-affected MCAv Amp and CVR were diminished. TD was slower than the non-stroke affected MCA, suggesting altered cerebrovascular control in the stroke-affected MCA with moderate intensity exercise. The characterization of the dynamic cerebral blood flow response to exercise may be a valuable assessment with the potential to assess improvements in these measures to various therapeutic interventions.
Level of Evidence: Level I
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Bai SX, Freemyer A, Eickmeyer SM, Kempf KS, Whitaker A, Witte E, Perdomo SJ, Ward JL, Ledbetter L, Billinger SA. Cerebral Blood Flow Response to Exercise Post-stroke [abstract]. PM R. 2019; 11(S2)(suppl 2). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/cerebral-blood-flow-response-to-exercise-post-stroke/. Accessed May 22, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2019
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/cerebral-blood-flow-response-to-exercise-post-stroke/