Guang Li1, Yen-Yu I. Shih2, Bryan H. De La Garza3, Jeffrey W. Kiel4, 5, Timothy Q. Duong3
1Radiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States; 2Research Imaging Institute , University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States; 3Research Imaging Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States; 4Ophthalmology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States; 5Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
Autoregulation of ocular blood flow (BF) with respect to changing blood pressure (BP) is important to retinal health. Autoregulation dysfunction has been implicated in many retinal diseases such as glaucoma. This study investigated changes in BF and blood-oxygen-level-dependence (BOLD) MRI of the retinal and choroidal vasculatures in the retina with respect to increased blood pressure (BP), which is induced by transient partial occlusion of the descending aorta. We found that BF in both of the retinal and choroidal vasculatures was tightly regulated. This approach sets the stage for study of retinal diseases in which autoregulation may be perturbed.
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