Simultaneous measurements of pial arteriolar diameter and laser-Doppler flow during somatosensory stimulation

We simultaneously measured pial arteriolar diameter and changes in cortical blood flow during activation of the somatosensory cortex by sciatic nerve stimulation. The pial vasculature was visualized with a closed-cranial window technique in chloralose-anesthetized rats (n = 13). Local blood flow was monitored with laser-Doppler flowmetry. During stimulation of the sciatic nerve (0.2 V, 5 Hz, 20 s), vascular diameter and laser-Doppler flow consistently displayed similar response profiles. With 0.5-ms stimulation pulses, the responses showed an initial peak followed by a smaller but sustained plateau dilation. In contrast, 5-ms pulses evoked a monotonically rising response. Our results support the concept that pial arteriolar diameter changes reflect cortical blood flow responses during somatosensory stimulation.