Neurovascular Coupling

Why in News?

Recently, a study found that the brain’s energy efficiency relies not just on responsive neurons, but also on a hidden vascular network.

• Concept – It is the process within the brain, precisely linking the activity of brain cells (neurons) to the local blood supply.
• Role - This intricate connection ensures that active brain regions receive the necessary resources to function efficiently.
• Process – When neurons fire, nearby blood vessels rapidly widen to deliver glucose and oxygen, ensuring the brain’s energy demands are met instantaneously.
• Messages travel ‘upstream’ from smaller vessels to larger vessels and the known chemical messengers moved too slowly to account for the brain rapid responses.
• Cells lining the brain’s blood vessels are linked by gap junctions, that let neighbouring cells exchange ions and small molecules.
• Gap junctions enable rapid, direct communication between cells in the blood vessel walls, bypassing the need for slower chemical messengers.
• Working in blood vessels
  • Arteries - It has strong gap junction connectivity involving with connexion proteins allowing for rapid signals.
  • Veins – It has weaker networks, suggesting less involvement in immediate neurovascular response.
  • Capillaries – It serves as the local sensors of brain activity.

Arteries transfer blood from the heart to the tissues. Veins transfers the blood from the different body parts into the heart. Capillaries help in the exchange of nutrients in the tissues and they also connect the veins and arteries.

• Significance of discovery – Gap junctions acted as a “scaling mechanism” that let blood delivery grow to match bursts of brain activity.
• It could help develop drugs to activate connexins as well as discover brain’s 20-plus connexin protein types combine into mosaic junctions that fine-tune messages from cell to cell.

Reference

The Hindu| Neurovascular Coupling