Uncoupling between cerebral perfusion and oxygenation during incremental exercise in an athlete with postconcussion syndrome: a case report

Imhoff Sarah (1, 2) , Simon Malenfant (1) , Eric Nadreau (1) , Paul Poirier (1) , Damian M. Bailey (3, 4) , P. Brassard (1)

1 IUCPQ - Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec
2 Département de kinésiologie, Université Laval
3 LCP - Laboratoire Chimie Provence
4 USW - University of South Wales

High-intensity exercise may pose a risk to patients with postconcussion syndrome (PCS) when symptomatic during exertion. The case of a paralympic athlete with PCS who experienced a succession of convulsion-awakening periods and reported a marked increase in postconcussion symptoms after undergoing a graded symptom-limited aerobic exercise protocol is presented. Potential mechanisms of cerebrovascular function failure are then discussed.

Keywords: cerebral perfusion; Cerebral oxygenation; exercise; postconcussion syndrome

Domains: Tissues and Organs [q-bio.TO]

Imhoff Sarah, Simon Malenfant, Eric Nadreau, Paul Poirier, Damian M. Bailey, et al.. Uncoupling between cerebral perfusion and oxygenation during incremental exercise in an athlete with postconcussion syndrome: a case report. Physiological Reports, 2017, 5 (2), pp.e13131. ⟨10.14814/phy2.13131⟩. ⟨hal-01813808⟩