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Perturbed neural activity disrupts cerebral angiogenesis during a postnatal critical period

Nature volume 505, pages 407–411 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

During the neonatal period, activity-dependent neural-circuit remodelling coincides with growth and refinement of the cerebral microvasculature1,2. Whether neural activity also influences the patterning of the vascular bed is not known. Here we show in neonatal mice, that neither reduction of sensory input through whisker trimming nor moderately increased activity by environmental enrichment affects cortical microvascular development. Unexpectedly, chronic stimulation by repetitive sounds, whisker deflection or motor activity led to a near arrest of angiogenesis in barrel, auditory and motor cortices, respectively. Chemically induced seizures also caused robust reductions in microvascular density. However, altering neural activity in adult mice did not affect the vasculature. Histological analysis and time-lapse in vivo two-photon microscopy revealed that hyperactivity did not lead to cell death or pruning of existing vessels but rather to reduced endothelial proliferation and vessel sprouting. This anti-angiogenic effect was prevented by administration of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-NAME and in mice with neuronal and inducible NOS deficiency, suggesting that excessive nitric oxide released from hyperactive interneurons and glia inhibited vessel growth. Vascular deficits persisted long after cessation of hyperstimulation, providing evidence for a critical period after which proper microvascular patterning cannot be re-established. Reduced microvascular density diminished the ability of the brain to compensate for hypoxic challenges, leading to dendritic spine loss in regions distant from capillaries. Therefore, excessive sensorimotor stimulation and repetitive neural activation during early childhood may cause lifelong deficits in microvascular reserve, which could have important consequences for brain development, function and pathology.

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Figure 1: Increased levels of neural activity during postnatal development lead to reduced microvascular density.
Figure 2: Neural hyperactivity reduces endothelial proliferation and new vessel formations in the neonatal cortex.
Figure 3: Inhibition of neuronal and inducible nitric oxide prevents vascular growth arrest in response to activity.
Figure 4: Activity-mediated microvascular deficits are long-lasting and affect brain oxygenation and dendritic spine stability in areas distant from capillaries.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the expert advice of W. Sessa, M. Simons and F. Moraes. A. Schain helped with design of ImageJ macros and G. P. Flowers critically read the manuscript. This study was supported by the following Grants: R01AG027855 and R01HL106815 (J.G.); F31NS068041 (C.W.) and AHA# 10POST2570007 (C.F.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, 06511, Connecticut, USA

    Christina Whiteus, Catarina Freitas & Jaime Grutzendler

  2. Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, 06510, Connecticut, USA

    Christina Whiteus & Jaime Grutzendler

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Contributions

C.W. and J.G. conceived the project, C.W., C.F. and J.G. designed the experiment, C.W. and C.F. carried out the experiment, C.W., C.F. and J.G. analysed the data, and C.W. and J.G. wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jaime Grutzendler.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

This file contains Supplementary Figures 1-12, Supplementary Discussion 1-2 and additional references. (PDF 20542 kb)

Co-label of NHS biotin and collagen IV in a 3-dimensional stack

Vessel stack of section co-labeled with both NHS-biotin intravascular dye (red) and collagen IV basement membrane antibody (green). Scale bar: 200 μm. (AVI 4085 kb)

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Whiteus, C., Freitas, C. & Grutzendler, J. Perturbed neural activity disrupts cerebral angiogenesis during a postnatal critical period. Nature 505, 407–411 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12821

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