Dynamic cerebral autoregulation in cognitively intact controls and in people with mild cognitive impairment

This is the first study investigating a supine-to-standing induced dCA response within a cohort of people with MCI. Contrary to our hypothesis, an enhanced dCA was observed in the higher-standing-velocity group compared to the lower-standing-velocity group despite the higher-standing-velocity group having greater cognitive scores. Interestingly, the higher-standing-velocity group with MCI and controls had similar MoCA scores and dCA. An enhanced dCA may be a compensatory mechanism in the neurodegenerative disease processes. The unexpected results highlight the importance of uncovering hemodynamic pathways in clinical populations and identifying the adaptions made to preserve cognitive function in the face of dementia.