Perturbed neural activity disrupts cerebral angiogenesis during a postnatal critical period.

ABSTRACT: During the neonatal period, activity-dependent neural-circuit remodelling coincides with growth and refinement of the cerebral microvasculature. Whether neural activity also influences the patterning of the vascular bed is not known. Here we show in neonatal mice, that neither reduction of sensory input through whisker trimming nor moderately increased activity by environmental enrichment affects cortical microvascular development. Unexpectedly, chronic stimulation by repetitive sounds, whisker deflection or motor activity led to a near arrest of angiogenesis in barrel, auditory and motor cortices, respectively. Chemically induced seizures also caused robust reductions in microvascular density. However, altering neural activity in adult mice did not affect the vasculature. Histological ana

SUBMITTER: Whiteus C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3947100 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature