Key result
Microgravity exposure selectively increases external carotid artery blood flow while preserving cerebral blood flow.
Why the study?
Does acute gravitational transition to microgravity alter external carotid artery and cerebral blood flow?
Does acute gravitational transition to microgravity alter external carotid artery and cerebral blood flow?
Microgravity induces a selective increase in external carotid artery blood flow while preserving cerebral blood flow, which may represent an adaptive response to counter overperfusion.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May warrant monitoring extracranial flow in spaceflight; leaves open whether this adaptation extends to prolonged microgravity or terrestrial orthostasis.
Our findings demonstrate that in microgravity there is a selective increase in external carotid artery blood flow whereas global and regional cerebral blood flow remained preserved. To what extent this reflects an adaptive, neuroprotective response to counter overperfusion remains to be established.
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Lanéelle et al. (2023) studied this question. Microgravity exposure during parabolic flight selectively increases external carotid artery blood flow while global and regional cerebral blood flow remain preserved.
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