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Updated: Apr 9, 2026

Evaluation of Cerebral Blood Flow Autoregulation in the Rat Using Laser Doppler Flowmetry
Published on: January 19, 2020
Cerebral autoregulation in pregnancies complicated by diabetes and overweight
Teelkien R van Veen1, Ronney B Panerai2, Sina Haeri3
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA teelkien@gmail.com.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of diabetes and obesity on cerebral autoregulation in pregnancy.
Methods:
Cerebral autoregulation was evaluated in women with gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus and/or overweight (body mass index ⩾ 25 kg m(-2)) and compared to a cohort of euglycaemic pregnant women. The autoregulation index was calculated using simultaneously recorded cerebral blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery and blood pressure. Autoregulation index values of 0 and 9 indicate absent and perfect autoregulation, respectively.
Results:
Autoregulation index in women with either diabetes (n = 33, 6.6 ± 1.1) or overweight (n = 21, 6.7 ± 0.6) was not significantly different to that in control patients (n = 23, 6.6 ± 0.8, p = 0.96).
Conclusion:
Cerebral autoregulation is not impaired in pregnant women who have non-vasculopathic diabetes or overweight. This suggests that the increased risk of pre-eclampsia in diabetic and overweight women is not associated with early impaired cerebral autoregulation.
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