EFFECT OF NICOTINIC ACID AND RELATED SUBSTANCES ON THE INTRACRANIAL BLOOD FLOW OF MAN

Abstract

The dilating action of nicotinic acid on the blood vessels of the skin and probably of the skeletal muscle has been well established. Bean and Spies¹ observed that nicotinic acid and certain other closely related compounds caused widespread flushing and elevation in temperature of the skin. Abramson, Katzenstein and Senior,² using the venous occlusion plethysmograph, showed that nicotinic acid significantly increased the blood flow to both the distal and the proximal portions of the extremities. They concluded that the augmentation of blood flow in the proximal portions occurred in both skin and skeletal muscle. That the nicotinic acid caused active dilatation of the blood vessels was evidenced by the fact that no significant changes in blood pressure occurred. Moore³ observed that nicotinic acid dilated the pial vessels of the cat and that it caused an elevation of cerebrospinal fluid pressure in 2 human subjects. From somewhat limited