Using pharmacological agents to investigate the mechanisms of the neuronal vascular coupling

The changes in cerebral blood flow, volume and oxygenation that accompany increases in neural activity form the basis of non-invasive neuroimaging techniques such as blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which allow human brain mapping. Understanding the relationship between cerebral hemodynamics and the underlying evoked neural activity is therefore vital for the interpretation of neuroimaging data. With a unique combination of optical, electrophysiological and MR techniques in a rodent model we have previously explored the quantitative relationships between increases in activity and the accompanying hemodynamics and positive fMRI signals. In this project we will investigate the chemical mediators and mechanisms of neurovascular coupling by using specific pharmacological blockers thought to play a role in the coupling process.
Research Groups Involved: Dr Jason Berwick, Dr Myles Jones, Dr Aneurin Kennerley, Dr Ying Zheng. Dr CHUANG Kai-Hsiang – Singapore Bioimaging consortium