Cerebral Arterial Asymmetries in the Neonate: Insight into the Pathogenesis of Stroke

Symmetry

Mark Solms¹  Michael Saling²  Anica Jansen van Vuuren²  Peter Anderson³  Sheryle Rogerson⁴  Jeanie Cheong⁴ 

[1] Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Cape Town 7701, South Africa;Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia;Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Flemington Rd., Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia;Royal Women’s Hospital, Flemington Rd., Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia;

关键词: middle cerebral artery;    diameter;    blood flow;    asymmetry;    stroke;    shear stress;   

DOI  :  10.3390/sym14030456

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Neonatal and adult strokes are more common in the left than in the right cerebral hemisphere in the middle cerebral arterial territory, and adult extracranial and intracranial vessels are systematically left-dominant. The aim of the research reported here was to determine whether the asymmetric vascular ground plan found in adults was present in healthy term neonates (n = 97). A new transcranial Doppler ultrasonography dual-view scanning protocol, with concurrent B-flow and pulsed wave imaging, acquired multivariate data on the neonatal middle cerebral arterial structure and function. This study documents for the first-time systematic asymmetries in the middle cerebral artery origin and distal trunk of healthy term neonates and identifies commensurately asymmetric hemodynamic vulnerabilities. A systematic leftward arterial dominance was found in the arterial caliber and cortically directed blood flow. The endothelial wall shear stress was also asymmetric across the midline and varied according to vessels’ geometry. We conclude that the arterial structure and blood supply in the brain are laterally asymmetric in newborns. Unfavorable shearing forces, which are a by-product of the arterial asymmetries described here, might contribute to a greater risk of cerebrovascular pathology in the left hemisphere.

【 授权许可】

Unknown