A CRITICAL REVIEW OF CIRCULATORY PHYSIOLOGY AS IT APPLIES TO CEREBRAL VASCULAR DISEASE

Abstract

The in-creased interest in cerebral vascular disease relates to new possible forms of therapy (e.g., anticoagulants) and careful clinical, neuro-pathologic, neurophysiologic and neurochemical studies. Physiologic studies have elucidated some of the possible mechanisms of cerebral vascular disorders. Arterial pressure is important in the regulation of cerebral circulation and in the pathogenesis of cerebral infarction. Cerebral vascular resistance is the composite of many factors which tend to impede cerebral blood flow. These factors include cerebral atherosclerosis; aging; other organic disorders of cerebral vessels; the autonomic nervous system; viscosity of blood; intracranial pressure; various drugs, chemical influences on cerebral vessels; and the demands of cerebral tissue. It is not always possible to apply information obtained in the laboratory directly to clinical problems. The correlations drawn here denote areas for further investigation.