The post-arteriole transitional zone: a specialized capillary region that regulates blood flow within the CNS microvasculature.

ABSTRACT: The brain is an energy hog, consuming available energy supplies at a rate out of all proportion to its relatively small size. This outsized demand, largely reflecting the unique computational activity of the brain, is met by an ensemble of neurovascular coupling mechanisms that link neuronal activity with local increases in blood delivery. This just-in-time replenishment strategy, made necessary by the limited energy-storage capacity of neurons, complicates the nutrient-delivery task of the cerebral vasculature, layering on a temporo-spatial requirement that invites - and challenges - mechanistic interpretation. The centre of gravity of research efforts to disentangle these mechanisms has shifted from an initial emphasis on astrocyte-arteriole-level processes to mechanisms that operate on

SUBMITTER: Mughal A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9992301 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature