Lechan Tao

Skip to main content Intended for healthcare professionals Skip to main content Get full access to this article View all access and purchase options for this article. References 1. Longden TA, Dabertrand F, Koide M, et al. Capillary K(+)-sensing initiates retrograde hyperpolarization to increase local cerebral blood flow. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20: 717–726. 2. Watanabe C, Imaizumi T, Kawai H, et al. Aging of the vascular system and neural diseases. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12: 557384. 3. Desjardins MJI.

Abstract Intracortial microstimulation (ICMS) is widely used in brain-machine interface for neuroprosthetics, particularly with aims of restoring lost sensory and motor functions. However, it remains poorly understood whether neuronal and blood flow responses by ICMS are spatially and temporally matched, as well as their underlying mechanism. Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the process by which neuronal activity regulates blood flow in the brain to meet local metabolic demands.

Abstract Brain aging lead to reduced cerebral blood flow and cognitive decline, but how normal aging affects neurovascular coupling (NVC) in the awake brain is unclear. Here, we investigated NVC in relation to calcium changes in vascular mural cells (VMCs) in awake adult and aged mice. We show that NVC responses are reduced and prolonged in the aged brain and that this is more pronounced at the capillary level than in arterioles.