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The concept of coupling blood flow to brain function: revision required?
H C Lou1, L Edvinsson, E T MacKenzie
1Kennedy Institute, Glostrup, Denmark.
Annals of Neurology
|September 1, 1987
Summary
The established Roy and Sherrington hypothesis explains brain blood flow regulation but has limitations. This review explores the perivascular nerve supply as a potential alternative mechanism for rapid cerebral blood flow control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cerebrovascular Physiology
Background:
- A strong link exists between brain activity and cerebral blood flow.
- The Roy and Sherrington hypothesis posits that metabolic byproducts regulate this coupling.
- This hypothesis struggles to explain certain disproportionate flow increases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the limitations of the Roy and Sherrington hypothesis.
- To propose the perivascular nerve supply as an alternative regulatory mechanism for cerebral perfusion.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of cerebrovascular regulation.
- Analysis of existing data on neuronal activity and blood flow.
- Examination of the role of the nervous system in cerebral circulation.
Main Results:
- The Roy and Sherrington hypothesis does not fully account for all observed cerebral blood flow changes.
- Recent experimental data present challenges to the traditional hypothesis.
- The extensive perivascular nerve network is highlighted as a key factor.
Conclusions:
- The perivascular nerve supply may offer an alternative or complementary system for controlling cerebral blood flow.
- This neural control could enable rapid, parallel adjustments in flow and neuronal activity.
- Further research into neural mechanisms is warranted for a comprehensive understanding of cerebral perfusion.