Photoacoustic microscopy of microvascular responses to cortical electrical stimulation

J Biomed Opt. 2011 Jul;16(7):076002. doi: 10.1117/1.3594785.

Abstract

Advances in the functional imaging of cortical hemodynamics have greatly facilitated the understanding of neurovascular coupling. In this study, label-free optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM) was used to monitor microvascular responses to direct electrical stimulations of the mouse somatosensory cortex through a cranial opening. The responses appeared in two forms: vasoconstriction and vasodilatation. The transition between these two forms of response was observed in single vessels by varying the stimulation intensity. Marked correlation was found between the current-dependent responses of two daughter vessels bifurcating from the same parent vessel. Statistical analysis of twenty-seven vessels from three different animals further characterized the spatial-temporal features and the current dependence of the microvascular response. Our results demonstrate that OR-PAM is a valuable tool to study neurovascular coupling at the microscopic level.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cerebrovascular Circulation / physiology
  • Electric Stimulation
  • Lasers, Solid-State
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Acoustic / instrumentation
  • Microscopy, Acoustic / methods*
  • Microvessels / anatomy & histology
  • Microvessels / physiology*
  • Optical Phenomena
  • Somatosensory Cortex / blood supply*
  • Somatosensory Cortex / physiology*
  • Vasoconstriction / physiology
  • Vasodilation / physiology