Bioelectrical Impedance-Based Time-Domain Analysis for Cerebral Autoregulation Assessment

Cerebral autoregulation refers to the ability of cerebral vasculature to maintain stable blood flow by adjusting vascular resistance in response to changes in perfusion pressure. With advancing age, this regulatory capacity gradually declines, and its early, real-time, and dynamic monitoring holds potential as a promising approach for the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases. Given the absence of an established "gold standard" for assessing cerebral autoregulation, this study aimed to develop a non-invasive, continuous method for assessing cerebral autoregulation based on bioelectrical impedance technology. Using a wearable headband in combination with a Finapres device, blood pressure and cerebral blood flow were continuously monitored. A novel impedance recovery curve method was developed and, together with systemic blood pressure data, used to construct a hierarchical cerebral autoregulation assessment model via system identification. Moreover, the utility of this method in differentiating autoregulatory capacity across age groups (young adult and middle-aged) was assessed. The results demonstrated that the time constant (<i>τ</i>_REG), which characterizes the speed of cerebral blood flow recovery, differed significantly between the young adult and middle-aged groups (<i>p</i> < 0.001). These findings suggest the potential of <i>τ</i>_REG as a quantitative indicator for distinguishing cerebral autoregulatory function between healthy age cohorts.