Regional cutaneous microvascular flow responses during gravitational and LBNP stresses
Due to the regional variability of local hydrostatic pressures, microvascular flow responses to gravitational stress probably vary along the length of the body. Although these differences in local autoregulation have been observed previously during whole-body tilting, they have not been investigated during application of artificial gravitational stresses, such as lower body negative pressure or high gravity centrifugation. Although these stresses can create equivalent G-levels at the feet, they result in distinct distributions of vascular transmural pressure along the length of the body, and should consequently elicit different magnitudes and distributions of microvascular response. In the present study, the effects of whole-body tilting and lower body negative pressure on the level and distribution of microvascular flows within skin along the length of the body were compared.