Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in normal and pathological conditions

Abstract

The metabolic needs of the brain largely depend on the intensity of the functioning of its various departments, which requires constant regulation of the level of local blood flow. The importance of accurate and timely regulation of cerebral blood flow is enhanced by the lack of substrate stores for autonomous energy production in nervous tissue. In this case, the state of systemic hemodynamics can have a significant effect on organ blood flow. At the same time, given the significant importance of the central nervous system in providing all physiological processes, the regulation of organ cerebral blood flow is aimed at minimizing the possible adverse consequences of the influence of disorders of systemic hemodynamics. In this regard, the regulation of cerebral blood flow is based on multiple and complex physiological mechanisms at various levels. The basic level of regulation of cerebral blood flow is myogenic response, which provides the phenomenon of autoregulation of blood flow in the brain. The review focuses on the physiological mechanisms underlying myogenic regulation as well as the change in this regulation in various diseases.