New Irish research has found that when a person stands up, their cerebral oxygenation is affected by age, gender and blood pressure medications.

Blood flow to the brain provides oxygen and nutrients for normal functioning. A reduced supply has been associated with adverse events such as falls, depression and cognitive decline.

Researchers from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) have previously studied the blood pressure response to standing, however this study focused on cerebral oxygenation.

It used data from 2,764 community-dwellers.

“We know that age affects how quickly blood pressure recovers when a person stands up, but we didn’t know if it was the same for cerebral oxygenation. We used novel equipment - near-infrared spectroscopy - to measure the change in blood oxygen in the brain during a standing task,” explained the study’s lead author, Louise Newman, a research assistant in medical gerontology at Trinity College Dublin.

The study found that when people stand up, women experience a smaller drop in cerebral oxygenation compared to men, but women take longer to return to their normal level.

Furthermore, those who are older have a larger initial drop in cerebral oxygenation and impaired stabilisation when they stand, while those taking medication to lower their blood pressure take longer to recover.

“However, there were no differences in the cerebral oxygenation response in those who told us they felt dizzy, light-headed or unsteady when standing up. Blood pressure levels also only partly explained some of the differences that we found. The study highlights the need for standing cerebral blood measures to be assessed in older patients, regardless of symptoms,” Ms Newman said.

According to TILDA principal investigator, Prof Rose Anne Kenny, brain cells survive and function “according to how much oxygen they receive and how quickly the cells and circulation can clear toxins from the brain cells”.

“We stand up 30-50 times per day and each time our bodies must react quickly to ensure that the flow of blood and therefore oxygen is kept constant. For the first time in such a large adult study we have measured such brain blood flow when TILDA participants stood up and demonstrated that the ability to react quickly and maintain flow is impaired year on year over 50 years,” she noted.

She pointed out that muscle strengthening exercises and other interventions can change these responses in a beneficial way, “so early recognition of problems using this novel technology should trigger treatments and lifestyle behaviour changes”.

“As a result of this research, we have started to use this new technology in clinical settings to improve patient management,” Prof Kenny added.

This study is published in the journal, Experimental Gerontology, and can be viewed here.