Press
Canadian Geographic, Sept 28, 2022: Wildlife Wednesday: The “wonderful net” protecting whales and dolphins from deep-sea brain damage
Scientific American, Sept 22, 2022 - The Purpose of Dolphins’ Mysterious Brain Net May Finally Be Understood
New Scientist, Sept 22, 2022 - Web of blood vessels helps protect whales’ brains while swimming
The Independent, Sept 22, 2022 - Study sheds light on why whales do not get brain damage when they swim
earth.com, Sept 22, 2022 - How do whales avoid brain damage while swimming?
Evening Standard, Sept 22, 2022 - Study sheds light on why whales do not get brain damage when they swim
Phys Org, Sept 22, 2022 - Why whales don't get brain damage when they swim
The Irish News, Sept 22, 2022 - Study sheds light on why whales do not get brain damage when they swim
Aol., Sept 22, 2022 - Study sheds light on why whales do not get brain damage when they swim
Eureka, Set 22, 2022 - Why whales don’t get brain damage when they swim
UBC Science, Sept 22, 2022 - News tip: Why whales don’t get brain damage when they swim
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Abstract
Cetaceans have massive vascular plexuses (retia mirabilia) whose function is unknown. All cerebral blood flow passes through these retia, and we hypothesize that they protect cetacean brains from locomotion-generated pulsatile blood pressures. We propose that cetaceans have evolved a pulse-transfer mechanism that minimizes pulsatility in cerebral arterial-to-venous pressure differentials without dampening the pressure pulses themselves. We tested this hypothesis using a computational model based on morphology from 11 species and found that the large arterial capacitance in the retia, coupled with the small extravascular capacitance in the cranium and vertebral canal, could protect the cerebral vasculature from 97% of systemic pulsatility. Evolution of the retial complex in cetaceans—likely linked to the development of dorsoventral fluking—offers a distinctive solution to adverse locomotion-generated vascular pulsatility.