Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The age-dependent decrease in the myogenic response of retinal arterioles as studied with the Retinal Vessel Analyzer

  • Clinical Investigation
  • Published:
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To study the age-dependent change in myogenic response of retinal arterioles.

Methods

Fifty-one healthy volunteers with at least ten persons in each of the five age decades (I–V) between 20 and 69 years were subjected to diameter measurement of retinal arterioles using the Retinal Vessel Analyzer (RVA) during rest and during an increase in the systemic blood pressure when lifting hand weights. The transmural pressure in the retinal arterioles during the procedures was estimated from the blood pressure and the intraocular pressure and was compared to the accompanying diameter response.

Results

The retinal arteriolar diameter showed a significant decrease as a function of increasing weight for the two younger age groups below the age of 40 years (P=0.007, group I, and P=0.049, group II), compatible with perfect autoregulation, whereas no such change was observed in persons above this age (P=0.41, 0.053, 0.29 for groups III–V, respectively).

Conclusion

Studies on autoregulation in retinal disease should consider the normal age-related decrease in diameter response of retinal arterioles when the blood pressure is changed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alm A (2003) Adler’s physiology of the eye. Mosby, St Louis

  2. Ashton N (1963) Studies of the retinal capillaries in relation to diabetic and other retinopathies. Br J Ophthalmol 47:521–538

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Blum M, Bachmann K, Wintzer D, Riemer T, Vilser W, Strobel J (1999) Noninvasive measurement of the Bayliss effect in retinal autoregulation. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 237:296–300

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Bursell SE, Clermont AC, Kinsley BT, Simonson DC, Aiello LM, Wolpert HA (1996) Retinal blood flow changes in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and no diabetic retinopathy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 37:886–897

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Carey BJ, Panerai RB, Potter JF (2003) Effect of aging on dynamic cerebral autoregulation during head-up tilt. Stroke 34:1871–1875

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Demant E, Nagahara K, Niemeyer G (1982) Effects of changes in systemic blood-pressure on the electroretinogram of the cat—evidence for retinal auto-regulation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 23:683–687

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Dumskyj MJ, Eriksen JE, Dore CJ, Kohner EM (1996) Autoregulation in the human retinal circulation: assessment using isometric exercise, laser Doppler velocimetry, and computer-assisted image analysis. Microvasc Res 51:378–392

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Dumskyj MJ, Kohner EM (1999) Retinal blood flow regulation in diabetes mellitus: impaired autoregulation and No detectable effect of autonomic neuropathy using laser doppler velocimetry, computer assisted image analysis, and isometric exercise. Microvasc Res 57:353–356

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Evans DW, Harris A, Garrett M, Chung HS, Kagemann L (1999) Glaucoma patients demonstrate faulty autoregulation of ocular blood flow during posture change. Br J Ophthalmol 83:809–813

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Flammer J, Orgul S, Costa VP, Orzalesi N, Krieglstein GK, Serra LM, Renard JP, Stefansson E (2002) The impact of ocular blood flow in glaucoma. Prog Ret Eye Res 21:359–393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Glucksberg MR, Dunn R (1993) Direct measurement of retinal microvascular pressures in the live, anesthetized cat. Microvasc Res 45:158–165

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Grunwald JE, DuPont J, Riva CE (1996) Retinal haemodynamics in patients with early diabetes mellitus. Br J Ophthalmol 80:327–331

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hardy P, Dumont I, Bhattacharya M, Hou X, Lachapelle P, Varma DR, Chemtob S (2000) Oxidants, nitric oxide and prostanoids in the developing ocular vasculature: a basis for ischemic retinopathy. Cardiovasc Res 47:489–509

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Lipsitz LA, Mukai S, Hamner J, Gagnon M, Babikian V (2000) Dynamic regulation of middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity in aging and hypertension. Stroke 31:1897–1903

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Osol G, Halpern W (1985) Myogenic properties of cerebral blood vessels from normotensive and hypertensive rats. Am J Physiol 249(5 Pt 2):H914–H921

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Rassam SM, Patel V, Chen HC, Kohner EM (1996) Regional retinal blood flow and vascular autoregulation. Eye 10:331–337

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Riva CE, Loebl M (1977) Autoregulation of blood-flow in capillaries of human macula. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 16:568–571

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Riva C, Ross B, Benedek GB (1972) Laser Doppler measurements of blood flow in capillary tubes and retinal arteries. Invest Ophthalmol 11:936–944

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Robinson F, Riva CE, Grunwald JE, Petrig BL, Sinclair SH (1986) Retinal blood flow autoregulation in response to an acute increase in blood pressure. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 27:722–726

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Russell RW (1973) Evidence for autoregulation in human retinal circulation. Lancet 2(7837):1048–1050

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Schmetterer L, Wolzt M (1999) Ocular blood flow and associated functional deviations in diabetic retinopathy. Diabetologia 42:387–405

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Sharrett AR, Hubbard LD, Cooper LS, Sorlie PD, Brothers RJ, Nieto FJ, Pinsky JL, Klein R (1999) Retinal arteriolar diameters and elevated blood pressure: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Am J Epidemiol 150:263–270

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Sinclair SH, Grunwald JE, Riva CE, Braunstein SN, Nichols CW, Schwartz SS (1982) Retinal vascular autoregulation in diabetes mellitus. Ophthalmology 89:748–750

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Squirrell DM, Watts A, Evans D, Mody C, Talbot JF (2001) A prospective evaluation of the Heidelberg retina flowmeter in diagnosing ischaemia following branch retinal vein occlusion: a masked, controlled comparison with fluorescein angiography. Eye 15:261–266

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Tachibana H, Gotoh F, Ishikawa Y (1982) Retinal vascular autoregulation in normal subjects. Stroke 13:149

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Wong TY, Klein R, Klein BEK, Meuer SM, Hubbard LD (2003) Retinal vessel diameters and their associations with age and blood pressure. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 44:4644–4650

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Yada T, Hiramatsu O, Tachibana H, Toyota E, Kajiya F (1999) Role of NO and K(+)(ATP) channels in adenosine-induced vasodilation on in vivo canine subendocardial arterioles. Am J Physiol 277(5 Pt 2):H1931–H1939

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Grants were received from the Danish Diabetes Association, the “Værn om Synet” Association, the VELUX Foundation, and the Danish Medical Research Council.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Århus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, 8000 , Århus C, Denmark

    Peter Jeppesen, Pernille A Gregersen & Toke Bek

Authors
  1. Peter Jeppesen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pernille A Gregersen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Toke Bek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter Jeppesen.

Additional information

Commercial relationships: None

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jeppesen, P., Gregersen, P.A. & Bek, T. The age-dependent decrease in the myogenic response of retinal arterioles as studied with the Retinal Vessel Analyzer. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 242, 914–919 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-004-0945-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-004-0945-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation