Cerebral Haemodynamics: Effects of Systemic Arterial Pulsatile Function and Hypertension

Abstract

<p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" dir="auto" id="d121145e121">Concepts of pulsatile arterial haemodynamics, including relationships between oscillatory blood pressure and flow in systemic arteries, arterial stiffness and wave propagation phenomena have provided basic understanding of underlying haemodynamic mechanisms associated with elevated arterial blood pressure as a major factor of cardiovascular risk, particularly the deleterious effects of isolated systolic hypertension in the elderly. This topical review assesses the effects of pulsatility of blood pressure and flow in the systemic arteries on the brain. The review builds on the emerging notion of the "pulsating brain", taking into account the high throughput of blood flow in the cerebral circulation in the presence of mechanisms involved in ensuring efficient and regulated cerebral perfusion. </p>