Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Microelectrode Impalement Method to Record Membrane Potential from a Cannulated Middle Cerebral Artery
Published on: July 2, 2019
Cellular basis of vasospasm: role of small diameter arteries and voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels
1Department of Pharmacology, Division of Neurological Surgery, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405-0068, USA.
Abstract:
Constriction of small (100-200 microm) diameter cerebral arteries in response to increased intravascular pressure plays an important role in the regulation of cerebral blood flow. In arteries from healthy animals, these pressure-induced constrictions arise from depolarization of arterial smooth muscle leading to enhanced activity of L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels. Recently, we have observed that pressure-induced constrictions are greatly enhanced in cerebral arteries obtained from a rabbit model of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) due to the emergence of R-type voltage-dependent calcium channels in arterial myocytes. Enhanced pressure-induced constrictions and the resulting decrease in cerebral blood may contribute to the development of neurological deficits in SAH patients following cerebral aneurysm rupture. This work supports the concept that small diameter arteries represent important targets for current treatment modalities (e.g. Hypertensive, Hypervolemic, Hemodilution "triple H" therapy) used in SAH patients. Further, we propose targeting R-type calcium channels, encoded by the gene Ca(v)2.3, as a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of SAH-induced cerebral vasospasm.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Vascular Spasm
Antihypertensive Drugs: Action of Calcium Channel Blockers
Voltage-gated Ion Channels
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
Voltage-gated Ion Channels
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
Smooth Muscle Contraction
The onset of contraction is triggered by an increase in calcium ions within the sarcoplasm, similar to the process in striated muscle. However, smooth muscles have a relatively smaller reservoir of the sarcoplasmic...
Mechanically-gated Ion Channels

