Intentional Increase of Cerebral Blood Oxygenation Using Hemoencephalography (HEG): An Efficient Brain Exercise Therapy

Intentional enhancement of regional cerebral blood oxygenation (rCBO2) in specific cerebral locations was studied as a brain exercise. A review of literature showed the effect of brain exercise on brain physiology. Hemoencephalography (HEG), a graphic analog of brain blood flow of oxygenated hemoglobin indicated by non-invasive infrared spectroscopy, was used to guide intentionally increasing rCBO2. A musical note and visual graphic keyed to changes in cortical blood oxygenation was provided to the participant. A primary aim of this study was to demonstrate the capacity of subjects with brain disorders to increase oxygenation of selected brain tissue using HEG and test the hypothesis that multiple repetitions of these brain exercises improved sustained attention measured with a continuous performance test. The impulsivity score for subjects in the exercise group was in the normal range after 10 sessions. In a small set of subjects, low arousal SPECT images showed increased vascularity after 30 half-hour sessions of intentional enhancement of local blood oxygenation.