Summary
Ten human subjects were injected intravenously with a non-diffusible gamma-emitting isotope. At steady state, 8 collimated scintillation detectors, placed laterally to the subject's head, measured the activity in 8 hemisphere regions. During various types of psychological tests, regional variations in the gamma radiation were recorded. Different patterns of changes were seen during reception of visual impulses, and during various cognitive tasks. These patterns probably represent changes in cerebral blood volume, which are caused by regional metabolic and circulatory events, mainly in the cerebral cortex, and which have a relation to mental activity. Previously demonstrated changes in regional cerebral blood flow during mentation highly support this interpretation. The untraumatic method used in the present study permits, for the first time, continuous extracranial measurements of regional cerebral circulatory events related to mentation.
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This investigation was aided by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council (contracts No. B 67-21x-84-03) and from the Wallenherg Foundation, Stockholm.
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Risberg, J., Ingvar, D.H. Regional changes in cerebral blood volume during mental activity. Exp Brain Res 5, 72–78 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239907
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239907