Yang Eun-Seon, Jung Ju-Yeon, Kang Chang-Ki
Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology (GAIHST), Gachon University, Incheon 21936, Republic of Korea.
Institute for Human Health and Science Convergence, Gachon University, Incheon 21936, Republic of Korea.
Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Sep 24;12(19):1908. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12191908.
An excessive and abrupt increase in cerebral blood flow may cause blood vessel damage, leading to stroke. Therefore, appropriate methods to immediately regulate blood flow velocity are important. Through an analysis of 31 healthy adults, we therefore investigated whether stimulating the common carotid artery (CCA) using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) could modulate blood flow velocity in the CCA.
Three stimulation intensities (below-threshold, threshold, and above-threshold) were applied in a random order. Blood velocity changes were examined by the measurement of peak systolic velocity (PSV) with Doppler ultrasound before, during, and after TENS stimulation. To evaluate arterial stiffness, pulse wave velocity (PWV) was calculated using CCA diameter, and blood pressure was measured before and after stimulation.
PSV changes in the below-threshold level were significant ( = 0.028). The PSV after below-threshold stimulation was significantly decreased by 2.23% compared to that before stimulation ( = 0.031). PWV showed no significant differences; however, a nonsignificant increase was observed immediately after stimulation only in the above-threshold condition. Above-threshold stimulation can increase vascular tone by activating the sympathetic nerve, possibly triggering vasoconstriction.
A decrease in blood flow velocity may not be expected upon the above-threshold stimulation. In contrast, the below-threshold stimulation immediately reduces blood flow velocity, without significantly affecting hemodynamic function, such as arterial flexibility. Therefore, this short-term and low electrical stimulation technique can help to lower vascular resistance and prevent vascular damage from rapid blood flow velocity.
脑血流量过度突然增加可能导致血管损伤，进而引发中风。因此，采用适当方法立即调节血流速度很重要。通过对31名健康成年人的分析，我们研究了经皮电神经刺激（TENS）刺激颈总动脉（CCA）是否能调节CCA的血流速度。
以随机顺序施加三种刺激强度（阈下、阈上和阈上）。在TENS刺激前、刺激期间和刺激后，用多普勒超声测量收缩期峰值速度（PSV）来检查血流速度变化。为评估动脉僵硬度，利用CCA直径计算脉搏波速度（PWV），并在刺激前后测量血压。
阈下水平的PSV变化显著（=0.028）。与刺激前相比，阈下刺激后的PSV显著降低了2.23%（=0.031）。PWV无显著差异；然而，仅在阈上刺激条件下，刺激后立即观察到非显著增加。阈上刺激可通过激活交感神经增加血管张力，可能引发血管收缩。
阈上刺激可能不会导致血流速度降低。相反，阈下刺激可立即降低血流速度，而不会显著影响诸如动脉弹性等血流动力学功能。因此，这种短期低电刺激技术有助于降低血管阻力，防止快速血流速度造成的血管损伤。
