Investigating Human Neurovascular Coupling Using Functional Neuroimaging: A Critical Review of Dynamic Models

The mechanisms that link a transient neural activity to the corresponding increase of cerebral blood flow (CBF) are termed neurovascular coupling (NVC). They are possibly impaired at early stages of small vessel or neurodegenerative diseases. Investigation of NVC in humans has been made possible with the development of various neuroimaging techniques based on variations of local hemodynamics during neural activity. Specific dynamic models are currently used for interpreting these data that can include biophysical parameters related to NVC. After a brief review of the current knowledge about possible mechanisms acting in NVC we selected seven models with explicit integration of NVC found in the literature. All these models were described using the same procedure. We compared their physiological assumptions, mathematical formalism, and validation. In particular, we pointed out their strong differences in terms of complexity. Finally, we discussed their validity and their potential applications. These models may provide key information to investigate various aspects of NVC in human pathology.