Right-Left Asymmetry of Prefrontal Cerebral Oxygenation: Does it Depend on Systemic Physiological Activity, Absolute Tissue Oxygenation or Hemoglobin Concentration?

Abstract

We have repeatedly observed a right-left asymmetry (RLA) of prefrontal cerebral oxygenation of subjects during the resting state. To clarify if the RLA is a reliably observable phenomenon at the group level and whether it is associated with systemic physiology, absolute tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) or total hemoglobin concentration ([tHb]). StO2 and [tHb] values at the right and left prefrontal cortex (PFC) were calculated for two 5- min resting phases based on data from 76 single measurements (24 healthy adults, aged 22.0±6.4years). StO2 and [tHb] were measured with an ISS OxiplexTS frequency domain near-infrared spectroscopy device. In addition, end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2), heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR) and the pulse-respiration quotient (PRQ=HR/RR) were measured and analyzed for the two phases. On the group level it was found that i) StO2 was higher at the right compared to the left PFC (for both phases), ii) RLA of StO2 (∆StO2=StO2 (right)-StO2 (left) was independent of PETCO2, HR and PRQ, and iii) ∆StO2 was associated with absolute StO2 and [tHb] values (positively and negatively, respectively). This study shows that i) RLA of StO2 at the PFC is a real phenomenon, and that ii) ∆StO2 at the group level does not depend on PETCO2, HR, RR or PRQ, but on absolute StO2 and [tHb]. We conclude that the RLA is a real effect, independent of systemic physiology, and most likely reflects genuine properties of the brain, i.e. different activity states of the two hemispheres.