A 1-D Pulse Wave Model Coupling Arterial and Perivascular Flow

In vivo measurements of cerebrospinal fluid in the perivascular spaces (PVSs) of the brain—annular channels surrounding the cerebral arteries—suggest that flow is driven by waves propagating along the arterial wall. Here, we present a one-dimensional pulse wave propagation model for flow and pressure that couples the arterial and perivascular networks. The model first simulates pulsatile blood flow through a vascular network terminated with Windkessel lumped parameter models. The arterial area deformation wave is then coupled to a PVS network model. This approach simplifies the fluid-structure interaction and allows the investigation of flow and pressure in PVSs in parts of the brain that are not experimentally accessible. To our knowledge, there is currently no other computational model of perivascular flow that can account for the evolution in the arterial wave through bifurcations or explicitly includes the effects of arterial material properties on perivascular flow.