Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Hall CN
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3976267 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Hall Catherine N CN Reynell Clare C Gesslein Bodil B Hamilton Nicola B NB Mishra Anusha A Sutherland Brad A BA O'Farrell Fergus M FM Buchan Alastair M AM Lauritzen Martin M Attwell David D
Nature 20140326 7494
Increases in brain blood flow, evoked by neuronal activity, power neural computation and form the basis of BOLD (blood-oxygen-level-dependent) functional imaging. Whether blood flow is controlled solely by arteriole smooth muscle, or also by capillary pericytes, is controversial. We demonstrate that neuronal activity and the neurotransmitter glutamate evoke the release of messengers that dilate capillaries by actively relaxing pericytes. Dilation is mediated by prostaglandin E2, but requires nit ...[more]