Special blood vessel cells sense when an area of ​​the brain needs energy

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When we smell a hot dog, it might trigger memories of backyard barbecues or attending baseball games as childhood. During this process, areas of the brain that control smell and long-term memory fire rapid impulses. To feed these signals from neurons, active brain areas need oxygen and energy in the form of blood sugar, which is delivered quickly through blood vessels.

Now, University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers have discovered that a specific type of cell atop the brain’s smallest blood vessels senses when an area of ​​the brain needs energy. When glucose levels are low, these cells signal blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow to the area and allowing more energy to fuel that part of the brain.

These results from experiments in mice were published on December 27, 2022, in the Cell Reports.

“These fluctuations in blood flow help direct the brain’s energy resources to support daily functions,” said study leader Thomas Longden, PhD, assistant professor of physiology at UMSOM. “As I speak now, the blood flow in my brain will be diverted to the areas of language and the areas of movement (or movement) that control the vocal cords to fuel these processes.”

In 2022, Dr. Longden’s lab showed that signals in the form of calcium — shaped by electrical impulses through blood vessels — cause relaxation of certain brain capillaries that control blood flow, according to a paper published in Science advances. In the latest study, his team showed that a specific type of cell located along the outside of capillaries, known as pericytes, directs these electrical impulses based on their perception of local energy needs.

The researchers directly observed this process occur in the brains of mice using advanced microscopy, and then dissected the capillaries with associated granule cells. Then, they measured the electrical signals emitted by the granules when glucose levels were adjusted. They found that the granules rapidly generated electrical signals when sugar levels were low, but not when levels were high.

“If enough energy is not supplied from the blood vessels in the brain to neurons at the right time, there can be a mismatch between energy supply and demand. This causes neurons in the brain to experience stress, which can lead to impaired protein metabolism.” , changes in how neurons fire, and eventually even cell death, said study co-author Ashwini Hariharan, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in physiology at UMSOM.

This active failure of brain vascular function has been shown to occur during the aging process, and in certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke. “


Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Dean of UMSOM, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor

Dr. Longden added, “By studying how this process works normally, researchers may be able to gain more insight into what happens in aging or neurodegenerative diseases, so that they can develop better treatments.”

This study was funded by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (1R01AG066645, 5R01NS115401, and 1DP2NS121347-01), the American Heart Association, and the DC Women’s Council.

Source:

Journal reference:

Hariharan, A.; et al. (2022) Capillary cells in the brain are metabolic sentinels that control blood flow through a KATP channel-dependent energy switch. Cell Reports. doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111872.

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