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Updated: Sep 9, 2025

Author Spotlight: Noninvasive Cerebral Blood Flow Determination in Human Functional Brain Region for Diagnosis of Neurological Disorders
05:23

Author Spotlight: Noninvasive Cerebral Blood Flow Determination in Human Functional Brain Region for Diagnosis of Neurological Disorders

Published on: May 31, 2024

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Uncovering the impact of the cardiovascular system on cerebrovascular health using MRI

Ian D Driver1, Kevin Murphy1

  • 1Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.

Experimental Physiology
|September 4, 2025
PubMed

Insights

This review explores human cerebrovascular structure and function, highlighting how magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can assess brain blood flow and cerebrovascular health. It examines the link between the cardiac pulse and cerebrovascular disease.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • The human cerebrovasculature precisely regulates cerebral blood flow to meet brain metabolic demands.
  • It also protects the brain from systemic blood pressure fluctuations, both acutely and chronically.
  • Understanding cerebrovascular function is crucial for addressing neurological diseases and neurodegeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review cerebrovascular structure and function.
  • To discuss the role of cerebrovascular health in disease and neurodegeneration.
  • To explore the application of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in studying cerebrovascular physiology.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on cerebrovascular structure and function.
  • Description of various MRI techniques for measuring cerebrovascular physiology.
  • Analysis of MRI applications in assessing cerebrovascular health.

Main Results:

  • Cerebrovascular structure and function are key to brain health.
  • MRI offers valuable methods for probing cerebrovascular physiology.
  • The cardiovascular system's pulse wave is linked to cerebrovascular disease.

Conclusions:

  • Cerebrovascular regulation is vital for brain function and protection.
  • MRI is a powerful tool for investigating cerebrovascular health and disease.
  • Further research is needed to fill knowledge gaps regarding the cardiovascular system's impact on cerebrovascular disease.

Keywords:
arterial stiffnesscerebral blood flowvascular tone

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