[Regulation of local cerebral blood flow: the concept of the homeostatic range]

Multichannel recording of the intensity of local blood flow in neighbouring microareas of the cortex was performed in acute experiments on cats under the conditions of: a) changes of systemic arterial pressure and b) asphyxia by the method of electrochemical generation of hydrogen. On the basis of data obtained a hypothesis was formulated on the existence of "homeostatic range" of local blood flow intensity and its displacement when the metabolic demand of nervous tissue and/or the degree of arterial blood saturation with oxygen are altered. The hypothesis explains the causes of temporal and amplitude differences in characteristics of changes of local blood flow in neighbouring microareas of the cortex under the effects of general character as well as the mechanism responsible for the development of posthypoxic hyperemia.