The role of neuronal nitric oxide in the regional neurovascular coupling: Voxel-based comparison between perfusion and metabolic PET images

• Published in: International Congress series Vol. 1235; pp. 197 - 204
• Main Authors: Hayashi, Takuya, Katsumi, Yukinori, Inoue, Manabu, Nagahama, Yasuhiro, Oyanagi, Chisako, Yamauchi, Hiroshi, Fukuyama, Hidenao, Shibasaki, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 2002
• Subjects: Cat; Cerebral blood flow; Cerebral glucose metabolism; Neurovascular coupling; Nitric oxide; Cerebral blood flow; Nitric oxide; Cat; Cerebral glucose metabolism; Neurovascular coupling
• DOI: 10.1016/S0531-5131(02)00187-5
• ISSN: 0531-5131

In order to clarify the role of neuronal nitric oxide in cerebral neurovascular coupling, we measured the CBF and CMRglc with PET in α-chloralose anesthetized cats during electrical somatosensory stimulation, and under the treatment of a neuronal nitric oxide inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole (7-NI). The voxel-based analysis was performed with the use of globally normalized CBF and CMRglc values to identify the increased areas of CBF and CMRglc produced by somatosensory stimulation, and the uncoupled areas between their changes induced by the 7-NI. Somatosensory stimulation in the left forepaw elicited an increase in both the CBF and CMRglc in the left cerebellum, the right thalamus and the right somatosensory cortex. Injection of 7-NI induced global uncoupling (20% decrease in the global CBF, but not in the global CMRglc), whereas the regional uncoupling during activation was observed in the ipsilateral cerebellum. Thus, neuronal nitric oxide may play a predominant role in the coupling of the regional perfusion and metabolism in the cerebellum, but less so in the neocortex.