Physiology and Ultrasound Laboratory in Science and Exercise, Centre for Research on Exercise, Physical Activity and Health, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Children's Health and Exercise Research Centre, Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2023 Aug;43(8):1254-1266. doi: 10.1177/0271678X231167753. Epub 2023 Apr 5.
Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the matching between local neuronal activity and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), but little is known about the effects of age and sex on NVC. This study aimed to investigate the relationships and interaction between age and sex on NVC. Sixty-four healthy adults (18-85 years, N = 34 female) completed a visual stimulus evoked NVC assessment to a flashing checkerboard. NVC responses were measured in the posterior cerebral artery (PCAv) using transcranial Doppler ultrasound. A hierarchical multiple regression was used to determine the relationships between age, sex, and the age by sex interaction on NVC. There was a significant age by sex interaction for baseline (P = 0.001) and peak PCAv (P = 0.01), with a negative relationship with age in females (P < 0.005), and no relationship in males (P ≥ 0.17). NVC responses as a percent increase from baseline showed a significant age by sex interaction (P = 0.014), with a positive relationship with age in females (P = 0.04) and no relationship in males (P = 0.17), even after adjusting for baseline PCAv. These data highlight important sex differences, with an association between age and NVC only apparent in females but not males, and thus a need to account for sex dependent effects of ageing when investigating cerebrovascular regulation.
神经血管耦合 (NVC) 是局部神经元活动与局部脑血流 (CBF) 的匹配，但人们对年龄和性别对 NVC 的影响知之甚少。本研究旨在探讨年龄和性别对 NVC 的关系和相互作用。64 名健康成年人（18-85 岁，N=34 名女性）完成了闪烁棋盘视觉刺激诱发的 NVC 评估。使用经颅多普勒超声测量大脑后动脉 (PCAv) 的 NVC 反应。采用分层多元回归分析确定年龄、性别以及年龄与性别的交互作用与 NVC 之间的关系。基线（P=0.001）和峰值 PCAv（P=0.01）存在年龄与性别的显著交互作用，女性与年龄呈负相关（P<0.005），而男性则无相关性（P≥0.17）。NVC 反应作为与基线相比的百分比增加显示出年龄与性别的显著交互作用（P=0.014），女性与年龄呈正相关（P=0.04），男性则无相关性（P=0.17），即使在调整基线 PCAv 后也是如此。这些数据突出了重要的性别差异，仅在女性中观察到年龄与 NVC 之间存在关联，而在男性中则没有，因此在研究脑血管调节时需要考虑性别依赖的衰老影响。
