Optogenetics is increasingly used to map brain activation using techniques that rely upon functional hyperemia, for example opto-fMRI. Here we demonstrate that light stimulation protocols similar to those commonly used in opto-fMRI increase blood flow in mice that do not express light sensitive proteins. These results impose careful consideration on the use of photo-activation in studies involving blood flow regulation and suggest light could be used as a technical or therapeutic tool to locally increase blood flow in a controlled fashion.
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