Brain capillary pericytes and neurovascular coupling
Søren Grubb, Martin Lauritzen, Christian Aalkjær
2021Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A Molecular & Integrative Physiology69 citationsDOIOpen Access PDF
Abstract
The neurovascular coupling ensures that cerebral activity is matched by the relevant blood flow. The control of the blood flow is mediated by capillaries and by the precapillary aterioles. It is the tone of the mural cells, which include pericytes, smooth muscle cells and cells with intermediate phenotypes between pericytes and smooth muscle cells, that determine the the diameter of the blood vessels and consequently the flow. Here we discuss the structure of these blood vessels and the excitationcontraction coupling of the mural cells.
Topics & Concepts
Mural cellNeurovascular bundleBlood flowSmooth musclePericyteCoupling (piping)MicrocirculationAnatomyBlood vesselCerebral blood flowVascular smooth musclePhenotypeBiologyCell biologyMedicineMaterials scienceInternal medicineEndothelial stem cellEndocrinologyIn vitroMetallurgyGeneBiochemistryBarrier Structure and Function StudiesAdvanced Neuroimaging Techniques and ApplicationsDiet and metabolism studies