Electrical stimulation of the fastigial nucleus increases total cerebral blood flow in the monkey

Internal and external carotid blood flows were monitored continuously in the barbiturate-anesthetized monkey with appropriately-sized electromagnetic flow probes. Electrical stimulation of the fastigial nucleus increased blood flow in both the internal and external carotid circulations in a frequency-dependent manner. This response was entirely intracerebral and independent of infra-bulbar mechanisms since it was present following high cervical spinal cord section. These data re-affirm the presence of the fastigial nucleus cerebral vasodilator response and add the observations that the response is present in the primate and markedly frequency-dependent.