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Baroreceptor stimulation alters cortical activity
Author(s) -
RAU HARALD,
PAULI PAUL,
BRODY STUART,
ELBERT THOMAS,
BIRBAUMER NIELS
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1993.tb03359.x
Subject(s) - baroreceptor , stimulation , psychology , neuroscience , sensory system , suction , cuff , blood pressure , heart rate , medicine , surgery , mechanical engineering , engineering
The arterial baroreceptors constitute an essential sensory link for the short‐term regulation of blood pressure and may also influence higher cortical function. The present study was undertaken to evaluate previous reports of such a cortical influence under conditions of psychologically controlled, mechanical baroreceplor stimulation. This control was achieved by use of PRES (phase‐related external suction), a modified neck suction technique. PRES applies short suction bursts that have a different impact on baroreceptors depending on their timing within the cardiac cycle and has the advantage that subjects cannot easily discriminate between conditions of stimulation and inhibition. Electroencephalograms were recorded from 22 subjects during PRES manipulations. A surface‐negative shift of about 10 μV developed during the cuff manipulations. Over frontal‐central regions, this shift was smaller during baroreceptor stimulation than during inhibition. These data provide support for the proposal that baroreceptor activation influences cortical activity.