Neuroimaging Assessment of Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Concussion: Current Concepts, Methodological Considerations, and Review of the Literature
Michael J. Ellis, Lawrence N. Ryner, Olivia Sobczyk,10 Jorn Fierstra, David J. Mikulis, Joseph A. Fisher, James Duffin and W. Alan C. Mutch. Front Neurol. 2016; 7: 61. Published online 2016 Apr 29. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2016.00061
Concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that presents with a wide spectrum of subjective symptoms and few objective clinical findings. Emerging research suggests that one of the processes that may contribute to concussion pathophysiology is dysregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) leading to a mismatch between CBF delivery and the metabolic needs of the injured brain. Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) is defined as the change in CBF in response to a measured vasoactive stimulus.