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Visual gamma stimulation causes prolonged enhancement of low-frequency blood flow oscillations across superficial
Piergiulio R Bressan1,2, Emily A Long1,2, John Jiang1
1Neurophotonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Introduction:
Gamma entrainment using sensory stimuli (GENUS) uses 40 Hz-pulsed sensory stimuli to entrain neural activity in the gamma band (30-150 Hz). However, the effect of GENUS on low-frequency vascular oscillations has not been fully explored.
Objectives:
The objective of this study is to elucidate the effect of GENUS on vasomotion in healthy mice and potential confounds for future application in disease studies.
Methods:
Head-fixed, awake C57Bl/6 mice (n = 18; 9M and 9F) aged between 18 and 60 weeks were subjected to white light of either 40 Hz visual flicker (GENUS), or constant stimulus (Control). Blood flow was imaged using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) before, during, immediately after 1 h of stimulus, and 30 min after the stimulus termination.
Results:
A linear mixed-effects model showed that GENUS enhanced the magnitude of 0.2-0.4 Hz blood flow oscillations by 38% during stimulation and by 30% at 30 min after stimulation compared to Control when controlled for age, sex, and other factors. The effect on vasomotion was distributed across the surface of many cortical regions not limited to visual areas.
Conclusion:
These results support the exploration of GENUS for increasing vasomotion in therapeutic contexts.
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