Fine Detail of Neurovascular Coupling Revealed by Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Hemodynamic Response to Single Whisker Stimulation in Rat Barrel Cortex
- 1 February 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physiological Society in Journal of Neurophysiology
- Vol. 99 (2), 787-798
- https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00658.2007
Abstract
The spatial resolution of hemodynamic-based neuroimaging techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging, is limited by the degree to which neurons regulate their blood supply on a fine scale. Here we investigated the spatial detail of neurovascular events with a combination of high spatiotemporal resolution two-dimensional spectroscopic optical imaging, multichannel electrode recordings and cytochrome oxidase histology in the rodent whisker barrel field. After mechanical stimulation of a single whisker, we found two spatially distinct cortical hemodynamic responses: a transient response in the “upstream” branches of surface arteries and a later highly localized increase in blood volume centered on the activated cortical column. Although the spatial representation of this localized response exceeded that of a single “barrel,” the spread of hemodynamic activity accurately reflected the neural response in neighboring columns rather than being due to a passive “overspill.” These data confirm hemodynamics are capable of providing accurate “single-condition” maps of neural activity.Keywords
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