This grant award entitled, Cerebrovascular Reactivity and Oxygen Metabolism as Markers for Neurodegeneration after Traumatic Brain Injury (hereafter, Neurovascular Study), aims to determine if neurovascular contributors to neurodegeneration can serve as markers of the emergence or progression of degenerative processes after traumatic brain injury in middle-aged and older adults. Primary outcomes are cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), as measured by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) as assessed by the novel MRI sequence called, T-2 Relaxation-Under-Spin-Tagging (TRUST). After the baseline primary endpoints are acquired, a single dose of sildenafil 50mg will be given to assess for the effects of a hypercapnia task on CVR and CMRO2. Other outcomes measured include additional imaging sequences (diffusion, ASL), volumetric analysis, and neuropsychological tests.
This grant award entitled, Cerebrovascular Reactivity and Oxygen Metabolism as Markers for Neurodegeneration after Traumatic Brain Injury (hereafter, Neurovascular Study), aims to determine if neurovascular contributors to neurodegeneration can serve as markers of the emergence or progression of degenerative processes after traumatic brain injury in middle-aged and older adults.