Document Detail


Pericyte-mediated regulation of capillary diameter: a component of neurovascular coupling in health and disease.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20725515     Owner:  NLM     Status:  PubMed-not-MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Because regional blood flow increases in association with the increased metabolic demand generated by localized increases in neural activity, functional imaging researchers often assume that changes in blood flow are an accurate read-out of changes in underlying neural activity. An understanding of the mechanisms that link changes in neural activity to changes in blood flow is crucial for assessing the validity of this assumption, and for understanding the processes that can go wrong during disease states such as ischaemic stroke. Many studies have investigated the mechanisms of neurovascular regulation in arterioles but other evidence suggests that blood flow regulation can also occur in capillaries, because of the presence of contractile cells, pericytes, on the capillary wall. Here we review the evidence that pericytes can modulate capillary diameter in response to neuronal activity and assess the likely importance of neurovascular regulation at the capillary level for functional imaging experiments. We also discuss evidence suggesting that pericytes are particularly sensitive to damage during pathological insults such as ischaemia, Alzheimer's disease and diabetic retinopathy, and consider the potential impact that pericyte dysfunction might have on the development of therapeutic interventions and on the interpretation of functional imaging data in these disorders.
Authors:
Nicola B Hamilton; David Attwell; Catherine N Hall
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2010-05-21
Journal Detail:
Title:  Frontiers in neuroenergetics     Volume:  2     ISSN:  1662-6427     ISO Abbreviation:  Front Neuroenergetics     Publication Date:  2010  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-08-20     Completed Date:  2011-07-14     Revised Date:  2011-08-01    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101477960     Medline TA:  Front Neuroenergetics     Country:  Switzerland    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  -     Citation Subset:  -    
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London London, UK.
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