Lack of autoregulatory response of the cerebral circulation after osmotic opening of the blood-brain barrier in dogs.

The reversibility of osmotic opening of the blood-brain barrier was studied in dogs one hour after intracarotid 3 M urea injection. At that time the permeability of cerebral blood vessels to albumin is restored as evidenced by lack of Evans blue extravasation. Despite that, the response of the urea-perfused hemisphere to changes of perfusion pressure was abnormal. Blood flow in that hemisphere followed passively blood pressure changes in contrast to the contralateral hemisphere in which the blood flow remained independent of the perfusion pressure.