Opposite reactivity of meningeal versus cortical microvessels to the nitric oxide donor glyceryl trinitrate evaluated in vivo with two-photon imaging.

ABSTRACT: Vascular changes underlying headache in migraine patients induced by Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) were previously studied with various imaging techniques. Despite the long history of medical and experimental use of GTN, its effects on the brain vasculature are still poorly understood presumably due to low spatial resolution of the imaging modalities used so far. We took advantage of the micrometer-scale vertical resolution of two-photon microscopy to differentiate between the vasodynamic effects of GTN on meningeal versus cortical vessels imaged simultaneously in anesthetized rats through either thinned skull or glass-sealed cranial window. Intermediate and small calibre vessels were visualized in vivo by imaging intravascular fluorescent dextran, and detection of blood flow direction allowed

SUBMITTER: Pryazhnikov E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3938546 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature