Cerebral blood flow changes in response to elevated intracranial pressure in rabbits and bluefish: a comparative study

Abstract

In mammals, the cerebrovascular response to increases in intracranial pressure may take the form of the Cushing response, which includes increased mean systemic arterial pressure, bradycardia and diminished respirations. The mechanism, effect and value of these responses are debated. Using laser-Doppler flowmetry to measure cerebral blood flow, we analyzed the cardiovascular responses to intracranial pressure raised by epidural infusion of mock cerebrospinal fluid in the bluefish and in the rabbit, and compare the results. A decline in cerebral blood flow preceding a rise in mean systemic arterial pressure was observed in both species. Unlike bluefish, rabbits exhibit a threshold of intracranial pressure below which cerebral blood flow was maintained and no cardiovascular changes were observed. The difference in response between the two species was due to the presence of an active autoregulatory system in the cerebral tissue of rabbits and its absence in bluefish. For both species studied, the stimulus for the Cushing response seems to be a decrement in cerebral blood flow. The resulting increase in the mean systemic arterial pressure restores cerebral blood flow to levels approaching controls.