Cerebrovascular

Through collaboration with the Cardiovascular Research Group based in the School of Human Sciences at the University of Western Australia, we are exploring the structural and functional differences in arterial vessels in the brain.

Ascending from the aortic arch, the carotid and vertebral arteries merge into an arterial ring structure at the base of the brain called the Circle of Willis (CoW), which is responsible for distributing flow throughout the surrounding cerebral tissue. Despite this network’s critical role of regulating blood flow in the brain, the CoW structure is known to have a high degree of anatomical variability.

We use several subject specific imaging modalities such as 3 tesla magnetic resonance imaging (3T-MRI) scans and duplex and transcranial Doppler ultrasound. With these imaging techniques we can capture subject specific vascular responses to environmental stimuli such as hypercapnic conditions and exercise. These data are then coupled into high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.

Using our CFD framework, we aim to understand the role of shear stress in vascular adaptation within the CoW and in the response to external stimuli. We are interested in understanding the functional influence of genetics on the cerebral anatomy and corresponding haemodynamics. We also are working to understand how blood flow is distributed throughout the upper body and how blood flow varies across scales from the aorta all the way through to the eye.