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Updated: Nov 13, 2025

Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Cerebral Blood Flow in Chronic Kidney Disease
Bernard Choi1, Christian Crouzet2, Wei Ling Lau3
1Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States; Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, University of California, 1002 Health Sciences Road East, Irvine, CA 92612, United States; Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States.
Abstract:
The prevalence of mild cognitive impairment increases with age and is further exacerbated by chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD is associated with (1) mild cognitive impairment, (2) impaired endothelial function, (3) impaired blood-brain barrier, (4) increased cerebral microhemorrhage burden, (5) increased cerebral blood flow (CBF), (6) impaired cerebral autoregulation, (7) impaired cerebrovascular reactivity, and (8) increased arterial stiffness. We report preliminary findings from our group that demonstrate altered cerebrovascular reactivity in a mouse model of CKD-associated vascular calcification. The CBF of CKD mice increased more quickly in response to hypercapnia (p < 0.05) but then decreased prematurely during hypercapnia challenge (p < 0.05). Together, these results indicate that altered kidney function can lead to alterations in the cerebral microvasculature, and hence brain health.
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