Dynamic brain microvascular function in cerebral small vessel disease. Abstract: Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is a common disease of the small blood vessels of the brain that results in stroke, dementia and a number of other health problems that affect older people. Despite being common the pathophysiology of SVD remains poorly understood. The work for my PhD will focus on the use of an advanced imaging technique called cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) to study brain blood vessel function in patients with SVD. CVR is a measure of how well brain blood vessels can react and increase the brain’s blood supply when there is increased demand and it is measured by asking patient’s to breath carbon dioxide whilst undergoing a blood flow sensitive MRI scan. My PhD will encompass an observational phase that will assess CVR and other vascular function measures to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms that drive SVD development. The CVR technique will then be used to test two new SVD treatments, isosorbide mononitrate and cilostazol, in a clinical trial. Keywords: Small vessel disease (SVD) Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) Clinical trial Student: Gordon Blair Supervisor(s): Professor Ian Marshall Professor Joanna Wardlaw Degree: PhD Link to University of Edinburgh holdings: writing in progress This article was published on 2024-08-22
