Altered hemodynamics and regional cerebral blood flow in patients with hemodynamically significant stenoses

Anne C Roc1, Jiongjiong Wang, Beau M Ances

  • 1Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

Stroke
|December 24, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Patients with arterial stenoses show altered blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses during motor tasks. This suggests BOLD imaging can detect hemodynamic changes in cerebrovascular disease.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Cerebrovascular Physiology
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background:

  • Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast is sensitive to cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes.
  • Cerebrovascular disease can significantly alter CBF.
  • Assessing BOLD response dynamics in patients with arterial stenoses is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the temporal dynamics and magnitude of the BOLD response in patients with major arterial stenoses.
  • To compare BOLD responses between patients with anterior circulation stenoses and healthy controls.
  • To determine if BOLD imaging can detect hemodynamic alterations in cerebrovascular disease.

Main Methods:

  • Seven patients with significant anterior circulation stenoses and seven healthy controls were studied.
  • Continuous arterial spin-labeled perfusion MRI was used to measure resting CBF.
  • A visuomotor task (handball squeeze) was employed to elicit and measure the BOLD response.

Main Results:

  • Patients exhibited reduced baseline CBF in specific brain regions.
  • A prolonged BOLD response and an enhanced initial dip were observed in patients' motor cortices.
  • No significant differences in motor task performance were found between groups.

Conclusions:

  • Patients with arterial stenoses display a distinct BOLD hemodynamic response pattern, including initial deoxygenation followed by delayed hyperperfusion.
  • These BOLD alterations occur even when resting CBF is not in the ischemic range.
  • A simple visuomotor BOLD activation paradigm effectively reflects hemodynamic changes in patients with significant arterial stenoses.
Abstract