Brain tissue pulsation responses to a low-level expiratory resistance manoeuvre: A pilot healthy volunteer study.
7 affiliations
- 1Cerebral Haemodynamics in Ageing and Stroke Medicine (CHiASM) Research Group, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
- 2University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.
- 3Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, British Heart Foundation Centre Research Excellence, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
- 4School of Life Course and Population Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
- 5Clinical Engineering, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.
- 6NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK.
- 7School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Abstract
Pulsatility of the brain has been hypothesised to be linked to intracranial pressure (ICP), although the nature of this relationship remains poorly understood. We used a low-level expiratory resistance manoeuvre to characterise brain tissue pulsation (BTP) responses in a pilot healthy volunteer study. BTPs were measured using a transcranial tissue Doppler ultrasound prototype in 10 healthy volunteers at rest and during the manoeuvre. Measurements of mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse pressure (PP), and heart rate (HR) were also recorded. One-way repeated-measures ANOVA compared changes between baseline, each phase of the manoeuvre, and recovery. Bulk BTP amplitude increased significantly during the initial phase compared with baseline (P = 0.004). A non-significant decrease was observed as the manoeuvre continued, with values decreasing below baseline during the late phase, followed by an increase above baseline during recovery. HR increased significantly during the late phase (P = 0.015). No significant changes were observed in MAP or PP. Bulk BTP amplitude demonstrated a dynamic response during low-level expiratory resistance, characterised by an initial increase followed by a non-significant decrease over the remainder of the manoeuvre. The physiological mechanisms underlying these observations remain uncertain. Future studies incorporating direct ICP measurements and complementary physiological monitoring are needed to clarify the relationship between BTPs and intracranial dynamics.
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BibTeX
@article{nicholls2026brain,
title = {{Brain tissue pulsation responses to a low-level expiratory resistance manoeuvre: A pilot healthy volunteer study.}},
author = {Jennifer K Nicholls and Emma M L Chung and Jonathan Ince and Edward Pallett and Jatinder S Minhas and Andrea Lecchini-Visintini},
journal = {Experimental physiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1113/ep093543},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927670},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Brain tissue pulsation responses to a low-level expiratory resistance manoeuvre: A pilot healthy volunteer study.
AU - Jennifer K Nicholls
AU - Emma M L Chung
AU - Jonathan Ince
AU - Edward Pallett
AU - Jatinder S Minhas
AU - Andrea Lecchini-Visintini
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Experimental physiology
DO - 10.1113/ep093543
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42927670
AB - Pulsatility of the brain has been hypothesised to be linked to intracranial pressure (ICP), although the nature of this relationship remains poorly understood. We used a low-level expiratory resistance manoeuvre to characterise brain tissue pulsation (BTP) responses in a pilot healthy volunteer study. BTPs were measured using a transcranial tissue Doppler ultrasound prototype in 10 healthy volunteers at rest and during the manoeuvre. Measurements of mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse pressure (PP), and heart rate (HR) were also recorded. One-way repeated-measures ANOVA compared changes between baseline, each phase of the manoeuvre, and recovery. Bulk BTP amplitude increased significantly during the initial phase compared with baseline (P = 0.004). A non-significant decrease was observed as the manoeuvre continued, with values decreasing below baseline during the late phase, followed by an increase above baseline during recovery. HR increased significantly during the late phase (P = 0.015). No significant changes were observed in MAP or PP. Bulk BTP amplitude demonstrated a dynamic response during low-level expiratory resistance, characterised by an initial increase followed by a non-significant decrease over the remainder of the manoeuvre. The physiological mechanisms underlying these observations remain uncertain. Future studies incorporating direct ICP measurements and complementary physiological monitoring are needed to clarify the relationship between BTPs and intracranial dynamics.
SN - 0958-0670
SN - 1469-445X
ER -