Development of an Optical System to Study the Dynamic Regulation of Blood Flow and Oxygenation in the Cerebral Microvasculature.

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Due to the brain's high energy demands, its blood flow is highly regulated in order to maintain a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients. Because of the tight coupling between brain blood flow and energy metabolism, cerebrovascular dysfunction is believed to not only play a critical role in vascular diseases such as stroke, but in neurodegenerative diseases as well. This proposal will focus on the development of a non-invasive, safe optical system capable of assessing the dynamic control of brain blood flow and oxygenation. Initial experiments are aimed at confirming the accuracy of the developed technology and demonstrating its capability using healthy volunteers. Ultimately this technology could be used to better understand how diseases, such as Alzheimer's, alter the critical the link between brain blood flow and proper brain function.