Browsing by Author "Shafqat, Qandeel"

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    Investigating the Effect of Inflammation Induced by Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide on Cerebral Blood Flow and Brain Oxygenation
    (2023-06) Shafqat, Qandeel; Dunn, Jeff F.; Camara-Lemarroy, Carlos; Yong, V. Wee
    Brain hypoxia is a pathological feature of various neurodegenerative diseases. Over 40% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, experience brain hypoxia. It is proposed that hypoxia and inflammation are linked, where inflammation can cause hypoxia and hypoxia can then further contribute to inflammation, leading to a vicious cycle of damage. Given that hypoxia is present in MS, and in other neurological conditions, further research on putative mechanisms for its cause are needed. To better understand the hypoxia-inflammation cycle, we sought to determine whether systemic inflammation induces brain hypoxia and/or alterations in cerebral hemodynamics using non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. We found that inflammation in a mouse model causes significant reductions in cerebral blood blow and an increase in brain R2* (an MRI marker of increased deoxyhemoglobin) in the cortex and hippocampus. We also discovered that LPS challenge causes significant changes in hippocampal oxygenation, with hypoxia occurring in all animals assessed, and hyperoxia occurring in 57% of the animals. Our findings suggest that inflammation may impair cerebrovascular regulation in the brain and contribute to brain hypoxia.