Age, sex, and the vascular contributors to cerebral pulsatility and pulsatile damping

Figures

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  Fig. 1.. Example cerebrovascular hemodynamic waveforms contrasting an elderly female (left) compared with young male (right). Carotid pressure waveform obtained from carotid wall distension waveform and eTracking. MCA, middle cerebral artery; W1, forward wave energy; NA, negative area (reflected compression wave energy); W2, forward expansion (i.e., suction) wave energy; ECG, electrocardiogram; PI pulsatility index; PDF, pulsatile damping factor; Ao:CCA, ratio of aortic to common carotid; PWV, pulse wave velocity.

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  Fig. 2.. Associations between age and cerebral pulsatility (A), cerebral pulsatile damping (B), large artery stiffening (C), and carotid pulse pressure (D) (n = 262). A and C use quadratic lines of best fit; B and D use linear lines of best fit. MCA, middle cerebral artery; PI, pulsatility index; Ao:CCA PWV, ratio of aortic to carotid pulse wave velocity; CCA, common carotid artery; PP, pulse pressure Filled (gray) circles represent males (n = 131); open circles represent females (n = 131). Association trendlines: dashed, male; dotted, female; solid, combined sample. A: combined r = 0.55, male r = 0.47, female r = 0.64; B: combined r = −0.54, male r = −0.58, female r = −0.67; C: combined r = 0.34, male r = 0.38, female r = 0.31; D: combined r = 0.24, male r = −0.03, female r = 0.42.