The communication between the lungs and the brain has drawn a lot of attention recently. Animal studies have shown that the breathing cycle is coupled with brain activity, showing that the greater the volume of air delivered to the lungs via a breathing machine greater the brain activity and also the greater the injury to the brain cells.
There is no study in humans that investigates the physiological communication between the volume of air delivered to the lungs and brain activity. This is important because really sick patients receive breathing assistance using breathing machines to keep their oxygen levels within a normal range. Although these machines are life-saving tools, they might result in brain cell injury, leading to cognitive impairment. So, establishing the existence of a physiological communication between the volume of air delivered using these breathing machines and brain activity is the first step to investigating therapies to prevent brain cell injury due to the use of breathing machines to assist breathing.
Patients scheduled to undergo an MRI scan of their head under general anesthesia
Age > 18 years
Stroke, and/or brain tumor in the regions of interest that has not been diagnosed before the MRI scan
Previous medical history of dementia
Previous medical history of brain surgery
Acute or chronic spinal cord Injury