Effects of incremental exercise on cerebral oxygenation measured by near-infrared spectroscopy: a systematic review.

We conducted a systematic review and meta-regression analysis to quantify effects of exercise on brain hemodynamics measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The results indicate that acute incremental exercise (categorized relative to aerobic capacity (VO(2)peak) as low - <30% VO(2)peak; moderate - ≥30% VO(2)peak to <60% VO(2)peak; hard - ≥60% VO(2)peak to <VO(2)peak; and very hard - ≥VO(2)peak intensities) performed by 291 healthy people in 21 studies is accompanied by moderate-to-large increases (mean effect, dz±95% CI) in the prefrontal cortex of oxygenated hemoglobin (O(2)Hb) or other measures of oxygen level (O(2)Hbdiff) or saturation (SCO(2)) (0.92±0.67, 1.17), deoxygenated hemoglobin (dHb) (0.87±0.56, 1.19), and blood volume estimated by total hemoglobin (tHb) (1.21±0.84, 1.59). After peaking at hard intensities, cerebral oxygen levels dropped during very hard intensities. People who were aerobically trained attained higher levels of cortical oxygen, dHb, and tHb than untrained people during very hard intensities. Among untrained people, a marked drop in oxygen levels and a small increase in dHb at very hard intensities accompanied declines in tHb, implying reduced blood flow. In 6 studies of 222 patients with heart or lung conditions, oxygenation and dHb were lowered or unchanged during exercise compared to baseline. In conclusion, prefrontal oxygenation measured with NIRS in healthy people showed a quadratic response to incremental exercise, rising between moderate and hard intensities, then falling at very hard intensities. Training status influenced the responses. While methodological improvements in measures of brain oxygen are forthcoming, these results extend the evidence relevant to existing models of central limitations to maximal exercise.