A new computational model for quantifying blood flow dynamics across myogenically-active cerebral arterial networks

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel computational model to analyze blood flow regulation in cerebral arteries, accounting for vessel mechanics and pressure responses, aiding understanding of cerebral autoregulation mechanisms.

Contribution

The work presents a new coupled computational framework for simulating blood flow and vessel mechanics in cerebral arteries, with analysis of coupling strategies and pressure response effects.

Findings

Weak coupling provides accurate results with lower computational cost.

The model effectively captures pressure redistribution in vascular networks.

The framework can simulate responses to upstream pressure surges.

Abstract

Cerebral autoregulation plays a key physiological role by limiting blood flow changes in the face of pressure fluctuations. Although the involved cellular processes are mechanically driven, the quantification of haemodynamic forces in in-vivo settings remains extremely difficult and uncertain. In this work, we propose a novel computational framework for evaluating the blood flow dynamics across networks of myogenically active cerebral arteries, which can modulate their muscular tone to stabilize flow (and perfusion pressure) as well as to limit vascular intramural stress. The introduced framework is built on contractile (myogenically active) vascular wall mechanics and blood flow dynamics models, which can be numerically coupled in either a weak or strong way. We investigate the time dependency of the vascular wall response to pressure changes at both single vessel and network levels. The robustness of the model was assessed by considering different types of inlet signals and numerical settings in an idealized vascular network formed by a middle cerebral artery and its three generations. For the vessel size and boundary conditions considered, weak coupling ensured accurate results with a lower computational cost. To complete the analysis, we evaluated the effect of an upstream pressure surge on the haemodynamics of the vascular network. This provided a clear quantitative picture of how pressure and flow are redistributed across each vessel generation upon inlet pressure changes. This work paves the way for future combined experimental-computational studies aiming to decipher cerebral autoregulation.