Specific Aims

Cerebral blood flow impairments are implicated in the pathogenesis of myriad neurological diseases,spanning  from concussion to dementia. Understanding how cerebral blood flow is regulated under normal conditions may thus permit the development of therapies that can correct blood flow abnormalities and possibly alter the trajectory of neurological diseases. Studies consistently reveal two broad categories of blood flow impairment: 1. abnormal perfusion (hypo- or hyperperfusion), and 2. dampened vasodynamics, defined as a reduced ability of the cerebrovasculature to rapidly change resistance to blood flow in response to environmental shifts such as neural activity, blood pressure, oxygen level, etc. Perfusion and vasodynamics are largely regulated While it is accepted that arterioles ensheathed  by vascularmural cells, which are electrically excitable cells that decorate the endothelium. Vascular  smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are one type capable  of vascular mural cell