# A multimodal approach to understanding the development of neurovascular coupling

> **NIH NIH R01** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 2021 · $420,730

## Abstract

Abstract: Hemodynamic signals allow us to non-invasively assay neural activity and could provide
great insight into neural changes during postnatal development. However, it is not clearly understood
how neural activity is related to changes in blood flow and oxygenation in the neonatal and juvenile
brain. Previous studies in anesthetized animals and sedated humans have come to conflicting results
as to the sign and magnitude of neurovascular coupling, and this unresolved issue has stalled the use
of hemodynamic imaging in infants and children. In this proposal, we will determine how
neurovascular coupling changes during postnatal development in the somatosensory cortex of the
awake mouse brain, how this change in neurovascular coupling impacts BOLD fMRI signals, and how
behavioral state can alter neurovascular coupling. We will use a multimodal approach, combining
optical imaging (intrinsic optical signal imaging and 2-photon microscopy), electrophysiology, and
fMRI to elucidate the relationship of hemodynamic signals to neural activity from the levels of single
vessels up to the whole brain. We will mechanistically dissect the roles of local neural activity and
cardiovascular effects on hemodynamic signals. The research proposed here will enable the use of
hemodynamic imaging to study neural activity, plasticity, and neurodevelopmental disorders in infants
and juvenile humans and animals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10202746
- **Project number:** 5R01NS101353-05
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Patrick James Drew
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $420,730
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-25 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10202746

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10202746, A multimodal approach to understanding the development of neurovascular coupling (5R01NS101353-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10202746. Licensed CC0.

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