Visually evoked dynamic blood flow response of the human cerebral circulation

The dynamics of the metabolic mechanism that regulates cerebral blood flow was studied in 10 normal human subjects using a noninvasive transcranial ultrasonic Doppler method. Flow volume in the posterior cerebral artery, supplying the visual cortex, increased 20.2% in response to light stimulation o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Stroke (1970) 1987-07, Vol.18 (4), p.771-775
Main Author: Aaslid, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Blood Flow Velocity
Cerebellum - blood supply
Cerebral Arteries - physiology
Cerebral circulation. Blood-brain barrier. Choroid plexus. Cerebrospinal fluid. Circumventricular organ. Meninges
Cerebrovascular Circulation
Circadian Rhythm
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Middle Aged
Photic Stimulation
Ultrasonography
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
Visual Cortex - physiology
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Summary:The dynamics of the metabolic mechanism that regulates cerebral blood flow was studied in 10 normal human subjects using a noninvasive transcranial ultrasonic Doppler method. Flow volume in the posterior cerebral artery, supplying the visual cortex, increased 20.2% in response to light stimulation of the retina, while flow velocity in the same artery increased 16.4%. The regulation of blood flow was very rapid; only 2.3 seconds elapsed from application of the light stimulus to 50% of full response. Full regulation (90% of full response) took 4.6 seconds. The blood flow response adapted slightly after about 10 seconds. Flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery increased significantly, by 3.3%, while flow in the superior cerebellar artery showed no significant change in response to this stimulus. These findings suggest the mechanism of very fast metabolic regulation of cerebral blood flow in humans.
ISSN:0039-2499
1524-4628
DOI:10.1161/01.str.18.4.771