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

由于大脑的高能量需求，其血液流动受到高度调节，以保持氧气和营养物质的持续供应。 由于脑血流和能量代谢之间的紧密耦合，脑血管功能障碍被认为不仅在诸如中风的血管疾病中起关键作用，而且在神经退行性疾病中也起关键作用。 该提案将集中于开发一种能够评估脑血流和氧合动态控制的非侵入性、安全的光学系统。 最初的实验旨在确认所开发技术的准确性，并使用健康志愿者展示其能力。 最终，这项技术可以用来更好地了解疾病，如阿尔茨海默氏症，如何改变脑血流量和正常脑功能之间的关键联系。

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.