Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2026
Assessing Cerebral Autoregulation via Oscillatory Lower Body Negative Pressure and Projection Pursuit Regression
Published on: December 10, 2014
Brain oscillations: ideal scenery to understand the neurovascular coupling
Jorge J Riera1, Akira Sumiyoshi
1Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Aobaku, Sendai, Japan. riera@idac.tohoku.ac.jp
Purpose Of Review:
This review discusses our current understanding of the neurovascular coupling in the neocortex with particular emphasis on brain oscillations.
Recent Findings:
After two decades of developments in neuroimaging, we do not know thus far how blood perfusion is regulated regionally in our brain, a statement endorsed by the existing uncertainty about the strategies it employs for dynamic housekeeping and oxidative metabolism readjustment during evoked and ongoing processing. What is more, we have no clear idea why such a regulation is inhomogeneous for the entire neocortex, with special distinctions in those brain areas belonging to what has been named the resting default networks. In the light of recent findings about blood supplying mechanisms during brain oscillations, we have to regrettably admit that further experiments need yet to be carried out to have a better understanding of the neurovascular coupling in the cerebral cortex of mammals.
Summary:
Understanding the neurovascular coupling, and hence the associated blood oxygenation level-dependent signal, will help us to design revolutionary therapies for several brain disorders as well as to establish new protocols for their diagnosis through neuroimaging. The brain oscillations provide us an ideal scenario for that end.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Brain Waves
01:18Neural Regulation of Blood Pressure
Baroreceptor Reflex
Baroreceptors, located in the carotid sinuses and aortic arch, detect changes in blood pressure. When blood pressure rises, these stretch-sensitive receptors...
01:17Autoregulation of Blood Flow
Chemical Signaling in Autoregulation
Chemical signaling operates at the precapillary sphincter level, inciting either contraction or relaxation.
01:19Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm
01:25Correlation between ECG and Cardiac Cycle
A cardiac action potential originates in the SA node and spreads throughout the atria and the AV node in approximately 0.03 seconds. This results in the P wave in an ECG and triggers atrial contraction. The action potential is then briefly slowed at the AV node, allowing the atria to contract and fill the ventricles with blood before...
01:28Electrocardiogram Fundamentals
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a diagnostic tool for identifying cardiac conditions such as arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities, and myocardial ischemia.
Definition
An electrocardiogram (ECG) visualizes the heart's electrical activity by tracing the electrical movement associated with each heartbeat on a graph or monitor. As the heart beats, an electrical wave passes through it, correlating with the cardiac cycle events.
Parts of an ECG
An ECG utilizes electrodes on the skin to...