CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW VELOCITY IN HANDICAPPED-CHILDREN

Using a transcranial Doppler blood flowmeter, of age. the blood flow v elocity (BFV) ratio of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) to the basilar artery (BA) was investigated in 12 patients with severe motor and int ellectual disability syndrome. The BFV of the MCA was also investigate d in 58 handicapped children, classified according to the severity of their motor and intellectual disability. The ratio of the MCA to the B A was lower by 2 SD from the mean of our previously reported standard value in 8 out of the 12 cases with severe motor and intellectual disa bility syndrome, suggesting a more profound decrease in the level of b rain activity in the MCA area than that of the BA area. The BFV of the MCA mainly decreased in cases belonging to the category of the most s evere motor disability (bed-ridden). Hence, it is suggested that motor disability is the main factor related to the decrease in the BFV of t he MCA.