A near-infrared spectrophotometric method for studying brain O2 sufficiency in man during +Gz acceleration.

A technique for the noninvasive monitoring of cerebral oxygen status was evaluated on volunteer subjects on the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine centrifuge. By using multiwavelength near-infrared spectrophotometry, the instrumentation measured changes in the quantities of reduced and oxygenated hemoglobin (and their sum, an indicator of cerebral blood volume), and the quantity of oxidized cytochrome c oxidase within the forebrain. Tests used acceleration of up to 9 G with onset rates from 0.1 to 5.0 G.s-1, anti-G suits and straining maneuvers, and hyperoxic and hypoxic breathing mixtures. In general, +Gz acceleration produced a fall in blood volume within the cerebral microcirculation with a relative increase in the content of reduced hemoglobin and a tendency towards reduction of cytochrome c oxidase. These findings are discussed in relation to accepted changes in arterial blood pressure, cerebral blood flow, and arterial oxygen saturation caused by acceleration exposure.