# Dissecting the roles of neuromodulation and neural activity in neurovascular coupling during behavior

> **NIH NIH R01** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 2020 · $347,331

## Abstract

Abstract
Changes in neural activity drive changes in local blood flow in the brain. These changes in cerebral
hemodynamics are important for maintaining normal brain health, and are used for non-invasively
inferring neural activity. However, hemodynamic signals can decouple from local neural activity,
making the understanding of the mechanism of this decoupling critical for interpreting and decoding
hemodynamic signals. We hypothesize that hemodynamic signals in a given brain area are
controlled by both vasodilatory signals released by local neurons, and by vasoconstrictory
neuromodulation, specifically noradrenaline, both of which will vary with behavioral state, such
locomotion. We will mechanistically test this hypothesis using optical imaging (intrinsic optical signal
imaging and 2-photon microscopy), local pharmacological infusions, chemogenetics, oxygen
polarography, and electrophysiology in awake mice. These experiments will elucidate how
noradrenergic modulation, which is involved in alertness and attention, interacts with local neural
activity to generate changes in blood flow and oxygenation. The end result of these experiments will
be a unified understanding of how neural activity and neuromodulation control hemodynamic signals
during behavior.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9839693
- **Project number:** 5R01NS078168-07
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Patrick James Drew
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $347,331
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-03-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9839693

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9839693, Dissecting the roles of neuromodulation and neural activity in neurovascular coupling during behavior (5R01NS078168-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9839693. Licensed CC0.

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