On Monday 8 September at 14:00, Christina Shen-Zhuang Yde defends her PhD dissertation entitled "Examining cerebrovascular mechanisms behind changes in the pulsatility index after acute ischaemic stroke.

Acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) is caused by sudden blockage of a cerebral artery and fast emergency intervention is vital in minimising both physical and cognitive impairments. Nearly half of patients who receive timely and successful removal of the blockage do not recover as expected, and the underlying causes for this remain unknown.

Abnormalities in how blood flows through the brain after AIS have been suggested to play a key role. This may be assessed using the pulsatility index (PI), a Doppler ultrasonography parameter that reflects the resistance of blood flowing through blood vessels in the brain. However, PI is influenced by multiple pathophysiological factors, which complicates its interpretation.

Previous studies have compared PI obtained from the stroke-affected brain hemisphere to the opposite, un-affected side. This approach may be flawed, as the two brain hemispheres are closely connected by anatomical and functional interconntections, whereby pathological changes in one may influence vascular and neuronal dynamics in the other.

This PhD study aims to characterise changes in PI and cerebral blood flow velocity during, and after AIS, and provide mechanistic insights into how blood flows through the brain in the acute phase following AIS.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Merete Barker Auditorium, Building1253-211, Aarhus University. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Christina Shen-Zhuang Yde
Mail: shenzhuang@biomed.au.dk 
Phone: 51868088

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