The effects of stepwise arterial hypotension (MABP: 80, 60, 40 mm Hg) and moderate arterial hypo- and hypertension (MABP: 80, 150-160 mm Hg) on cerebrocortical vascular volume and NAD/NADH redox state were studied in anaesthetized cats. The vascular volume and NADH fluorescence measurements were performed on closed skull preparations using a microscope fluororeflectometer. To determine the possible role of adrenergic alpha-receptors in the autoregulatory adjustment of cerebrocortical vascular volume, some of the animals were pretreated with intra-arterially infused phenoxybenzamine (1 mg/kg). It was found that longlasting stepwise arterial hypotension leads to a gradual increase in cerebrocortical vascular volume and NADH fluorescence. Though the cerebrocortical arteries dilatated considerably at 80 mm Hg, sustained for 30 min, the NAD/NADH redox state failed to be reoxidized but was shifted to a more reduced state. This finding suggests that some factor other than tissue hypoxia is responsible for the dilatation of cerebrocortical vessels during moderate arterial hypotension. When the arterial blood pressure was restored following stepwise arterial hypotension, the cerebrocortical vascular volume did not decrease and the NAD/NADH redox state remained reduced, showing that the autoregulatory capability of the vessels was lost and the tissue metabolism was irreversibly altered. During a 5-min duration of moderate arterial hypo- and hypertension, biphasic changes were obtained in cerebrocortical vascular volume while the NAD/NADH redox state was shifted to a more reduced and oxidized state. Since the dilatation and the constriction of the cerebrocortical vessels during arterial hypo- and hypertension lagged by 40-80 s behind the redox state alterations, it is suggested that the myogenic mechanism has a minor role in CBF autoregulation. Phenoxybenzamine (PBZ) dilatated the cerebrocortical vessels, indicating the existence of an active alpha-receptor-mediated vasoconstrictory tone. Since the extent of autoregulatory vascular volume changes was not affected by PBZ pretreatment, the involvement of adrenergic alpha-receptors in the autoregulation of CBF can be excluded, at least for cats.