Is cerebral vasomotor reactivity impaired in Parkinson disease?

PURPOSE: The ability of a blood vessel to change diameter in response to a change in carbon dioxide concentration is often referred to as vasomotor reactivity. This study aimed to determine whether vasomotor reactivity is impaired in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease in comparison to healthy controls. METHODS: Transcranial Doppler was used to measure cerebral blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral arteries at baseline and under hypocapnic conditions in 40 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and 50 healthy controls. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Vasomotor reactivity, assessed under hypocapnic conditions, is not impaired in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease in comparison to healthy controls.