Age-correlated changes in cerebral hemodynamics assessed by near-infrared spectroscopy.

Cerebral hemodynamic responses due to normal aging may interfere with hormonal changes, drug therapy, diseases, life style, and other factors. Age-correlated alterations in cerebral vasculature and autoregulatory mechanisms are the subject of interest in many studies. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is widely used for monitoring cerebral hemodynamics and oxygenation changes at the level of small vessels. We believe that the compensatory ability of cerebral arterioles under hypoxic conditions and the dilatatory ability of cerebral vessels due to vasomotion may decline with normal aging. To test this hypothesis we used frequency-domain NIRS to measure changes in cerebral tissue oxygenation and oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations caused by hypoxia during breath holding. We also assessed cerebral vasomotion during profound relaxation. Thirty seven healthy volunteers, 12 females and 25 males, ranging from 22 to 56 years of age (mean age 35 +/- 11 years) participated in the study. We observed age-correlated changes in the cerebral hemodynamics of normal subjects: diminished cerebral hemodynamic response to hypoxia due to breath holding in middle-aged subjects (38-56 years) and reduced amplitude of cerebral hemodynamic changes due to vasomotion during rest. Snoring related changes in cerebral hemodynamics did not allow us to observe the effect of age in a group of snorers. The prolonged supine position influenced measured changes due to hypoxia. In this investigation NIRS methodology allowed detection of age-correlated changes in cerebral oxygenation and hemodynamics. Other variables, such as snoring or posture impacted the observations in our group of healthy volunteers.