Effect Of An Acute Bout Of FES-assisted Cycling On Cerebrovascular Function In Young Healthy Participants

It is well-established that physical exercise (PE) is the most potent non-pharmacological strategy to improve physical and brain health. Nevertheless, PE can be difficult for populations with physical limitations. As a remedy, functional electrical stimulation (FES) has been proposed in rehabilitation and appears as an interesting technique particularly for improving physical function in spinal cord injury (SCI) and stroke patients. However, while neuromuscular responses to FES exercises have been extensively studied providing precious information regarding the mechanisms involved in the above-mentioned adaptations, little is known regarding cerebrovascular responses. PURPOSE: The purpose of the present experiment was therefore to examine the acute effects of one bout of FES-assisted cycling on cerebrovascular function. METHOD: Thirteen young, healthy participants were recruited for this experiment. Each participant underwent two testing sessions (20 minutes of FES-assisted cycling and cycling control) applied in a randomized order and separated by at least one week of recovery. For FES-assisted cycling, FES was applied to both quadriceps’ muscles at the maximal tolerable intensity. Right middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv) and left posterior cerebral artery velocity (PCAv) were monitored continuously during both sessions using Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound. Left frontal cortical oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb) concentration was monitored continuously using pulsed continuous wave near infrared spectroscopy. Cardiac output (CO), heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were also monitored continuously using a finger photoplethysmography system. RESULTS: Our results revealed that MCAv, PCAv, CO, HR, MAP and O2Hb were increased throughout both sessions without any condition effect. CONCLUSION: The present findings reveal that cerebral blood perfusion increases similarly during a single FES-assisted cycling session as during cycling control, despite less voluntary command. Thus, FES-assisted cycling presents an intriguing potential in a clinical approach in order to enhance and maintain cerebrovascular function, particularly for individuals with significant physical limitations who may not be able to engage in voluntary physical exercise.