Visual detection of neurovascular coupling in mouse brain based on two-photon imaging
- VernacularTitle:基于双光子成像的小鼠脑部神经血管偶联可视化检测
- Author:
Xiao-fen ZHOU
1
;
Ya-xian ZHAO
;
Run ZHOU
;
Wen-bin HE
;
Zhao ZHANG
;
Shi-feng CHU
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: neuron; blood vessel; neurovascular coupling; two-photon microscopy; visualization; whisker stimulation
- From: Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(10):1991-1997
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Aim To establish a simple and practical method for visualizing neurovascular coupling in the mouse barrel cortex in vivo.Methods Male C57BL/6J mice received stereotaxic in-jections of pAAV-hSyn-jGCaMP7s-WPRE into the barrel cortex to monitor neuronal activity.Three weeks post-injection,a crani-al window was implanted,and TRITC-Dextran 155 ku was ad-ministered intravenously to visualize the vasculature and blood flow dynamics.A custom-built whisker stimulator was used to e-voke controlled neuronal excitation.Two-photon microscopy was employed to monitor neuronal and vascular responses to whisker stimulation in real-time.Results Neuronal calcium signals and plasma signals were clearly observed using two-photon microsco-py.Whisker stimulation led to a significant increase in neuronal calcium signals in the barrel cortex,indicating effective neuronal activation.This neuronal excitation was accompanied by a syn-chronous increase in blood vessel diameter,blood flow velocity and overall blood flow.Conclusions This study successfully establishes a three-dimensional visualization framework(spatial,temporal,and functional)for in vivo visualization of neurovascu-lar coupling in the mouse barrel cortex,which provides a useful tool for investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms of neuro-vascular dysfunction and evaluating the efficacy of potential ther-apies.
