Increased local blood flow in response to neural activity is critical for brain function and the basis for functional imaging. Takano et al. now show that in vivo, astrocytes are central in translating neural activity into vasodilation via a mechanism involving COX1 metabolites.
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Rossi, D. Another BOLD role for astrocytes: coupling blood flow to neural activity. Nat Neurosci 9, 159–161 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0206-159
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0206-159
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