Hypertension And Brain Damage

This book focuses on diverse aspects of the relationship between hypertension and brain damage, providing up-to-date information that will be of interest to both clinicians and researchers. After an introductory chapter on epidemiology, the significance of various comorbidities that represent risk factors for brain damage in the context of hypertension is discussed. Detailed consideration is then given to the effects of hypertension on small and large cerebral arteries and the consequences for brain damage. Similarly, the association between hypertension and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke is fully explored, and the evidence and guidelines regarding reduction of high blood pressure during the acute phase of each form of stroke are summarized. Both the primary and the secondary prevention of stroke are addressed, with presentation of the results of key trials. Readers will also find interesting new perspectives on the roles of different imaging techniques, including CT and functional MRI, in detecting and diagnosing brain damage in patients with hypertension. The closing chapters review the relation of hypertension to subjective and objective cognitive failures and to cognitive decline and dementia.

Progress in Brain Research is the most acclaimed and accomplished series in neuroscience. The serial is well-established as an extensive documentation of contemporary advances in the field. The volumes contain authoritative reviews and original articles by invited specialists. The rigorous editing of the volumes assures that they will appeal to all laboratory and clinical brain research workers in the various disciplines: neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neuroendocrinology, neuropathology, basic neurology, biological psychiatry and the behavioral sciences.

This e-book will review special features of the cerebral circulation and how they contribute to the physiology of the brain. It describes structural and functional properties of the cerebral circulation that are unique to the brain, an organ with high metabolic demands and the need for tight water and ion homeostasis. Autoregulation is pronounced in the brain, with myogenic, metabolic and neurogenic mechanisms contributing to maintain relatively constant blood flow during both increases and decreases in pressure. In addition, unlike peripheral organs where the majority of vascular resistance resides in small arteries and arterioles, large extracranial and intracranial arteries contribute significantly to vascular resistance in the brain. The prominent role of large arteries in cerebrovascular resistance helps maintain blood flow and protect downstream vessels during changes in perfusion pressure. The cerebral endothelium is also unique in that its barrier properties are in some way more like epithelium than endothelium in the periphery. The cerebral endothelium, known as the blood-brain barrier, has specialized tight junctions that do not allow ions to pass freely and has very low hydraulic conductivity and transcellular transport. This special configuration modifies Starling's forces in the brain microcirculation such that ions retained in the vascular lumen oppose water movement due to hydrostatic pressure. Tight water regulation is necessary in the brain because it has limited capacity for expansion within the skull. Increased intracranial pressure due to vasogenic edema can cause severe neurologic complications and death.

Up-to-date discussion of the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this common cause of stroke and cognitive impairment.

This practical handbook for clinicians covers pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options in neurological rehabilitation.

This volume contains the most recent works on intracranial pressure and neuromonitoring in brain injury selected from 300 abstracts submitted to the 10th International Symposium on Intracranial Pressure. It includes state of the art monitoring of the brain injured patient in intensive care as well as the current state of knowledge in neurochemical and oxygen monitoring of the injured brain. Recent advances in molecular mechanisms of injury and the pathophysiology of ischemia and trauma are also included. "... this publication presents a comprehensive survey of the present state of art in the field and thus gives directions for further research to those engaged in ICP measurement and neuromonitoring”. Intensive Care Med

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant source of death and permanent disability, contributing to nearly one-third of all injury related deaths in the United States and exacting a profound personal and economic toll. Despite the increased resources that have recently been brought to bear to improve our understanding of TBI, the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches has been disappointingly slow. Translational Research in Traumatic Brain Injury attempts to integrate expertise from across specialties to address knowledge gaps in the field of TBI. Its chapters cover a wide scope of TBI research in five broad areas: Epidemiology Pathophysiology Diagnosis Current treatment strategies and sequelae Future therapies Specific topics discussed include the societal impact of TBI in both the civilian and military populations, neurobiology and molecular mechanisms of axonal and neuronal injury, biomarkers of traumatic brain injury and their relationship to pathology, neuroplasticity after TBI, neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapy, advanced neuroimaging of mild TBI, neurocognitive and psychiatric symptoms following mild TBI, sports-related TBI, epilepsy and PTSD following TBI, and more. The book integrates the perspectives of experts across disciplines to assist in the translation of new ideas to clinical practice and ultimately to improve the care of the brain injured patient.