Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant source of death and permanent disability, contributing to nearly one-third of all injury related deaths in the United States and exacting a profound personal and economic toll. Despite the increased resources that have recently been brought to bear to improve our understanding of TBI, the developme

This e-book will review special features of the cerebral circulation and how they contribute to the physiology of the brain. It describes structural and functional properties of the cerebral circulation that are unique to the brain, an organ with high metabolic demands and the need for tight water and ion homeostasis. Autoregulation is pronounced in the brain, with myogenic, metabolic and neurogenic mechanisms contributing to maintain relatively constant blood flow during both increases and decreases in pressure. In addition, unlike peripheral organs where the majority of vascular resistance resides in small arteries and arterioles, large extracranial and intracranial arteries contribute significantly to vascular resistance in the brain. The prominent role of large arteries in cerebrovascular resistance helps maintain blood flow and protect downstream vessels during changes in perfusion pressure. The cerebral endothelium is also unique in that its barrier properties are in some way more like epithelium than endothelium in the periphery. The cerebral endothelium, known as the blood-brain barrier, has specialized tight junctions that do not allow ions to pass freely and has very low hydraulic conductivity and transcellular transport. This special configuration modifies Starling's forces in the brain microcirculation such that ions retained in the vascular lumen oppose water movement due to hydrostatic pressure. Tight water regulation is necessary in the brain because it has limited capacity for expansion within the skull. Increased intracranial pressure due to vasogenic edema can cause severe neurologic complications and death.

Up-to-date discussion of the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this common cause of stroke and cognitive impairment.

This practical handbook for clinicians covers pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options in neurological rehabilitation.

This book focuses on diverse aspects of the relationship between hypertension and brain damage, providing up-to-date information that will be of interest to both clinicians and researchers. After an introductory chapter on epidemiology, the significance of various comorbidities that represent risk factors for brain damage in the context of hypertension is discussed. Detailed consideration is then given to the effects of hypertension on small and large cerebral arteries and the consequences for brain damage. Similarly, the association between hypertension and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke is fully explored, and the evidence and guidelines regarding reduction of high blood pressure during the acute phase of each form of stroke are summarized. Both the primary and the secondary prevention of stroke are addressed, with presentation of the results of key trials. Readers will also find interesting new perspectives on the roles of different imaging techniques, including CT and functional MRI, in detecting and diagnosing brain damage in patients with hypertension. The closing chapters review the relation of hypertension to subjective and objective cognitive failures and to cognitive decline and dementia.