Method for inducing and monitoring long-term potentiation and long-term depression using transcranial doppler ultrasound device in head-down bed rest

摘要

The present invention provides a method for monitoring long-term potentiation and long-term depression, comprising placing a subject in head down bed rest position and monitoring in real-time cerebral mean blood flow velocity using a transcranial Doppler device during psychophysiologic tasks. The method involves using Fourier analysis of mean blood flow velocity data to derive spectral density peaks of cortical and subcortical processes. The effect of head-down bed rest at different time intervals is seen as accentuation of the cortical peaks in long-term potentiation and attenuation of subcortical peaks in long-term depression, relative to baseline. The effect of different interventions could be evaluated for research, diagnosis, rehabilitation and therapeutic use.