Decipher the hippocampal neurovascular coupling with simultaneous fMRI and GCaMP-mediated calcium recording

Decipher the hippocampal neurovascular coupling with simultaneous fMRI and GCaMP-mediated calcium recording

Previously, we have developed a single-vessel fMRI method to visualize the hemodynamic signal propagation from individual venules and arterioles in the deep layer cortex and hippocampus. Here, we combined the single-vessel SSFP-fMRI with the GCaMP-mediated calcium recording to decipher the hippocampal neurovascular coupling events. Optogenetic stimulation led to epileptic activity, which could be detected as the bursting calcium spikes coupled to elongated fMRI signal from individual hippocampal arterioles and venules up to 20-30s following the epileptic events. This work establishes a multi-modal fMRI platform to characterize the hippocampal vascular dynamics of both normal and optogenetically driven seizure-like states.