The data provided was used to generate the figures in Shaw et al (2022); Gradual Not Sudden Change: Multiple Sites of Functional Transition Across the Microvascular Bed, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. Full details of how the data was generated and processed is provided in that paper.
The ReadMe file attached to this record gives details on the data including measurements and column headings.
A single Excel spreadsheet containing all the data points used for
graphs in Figures 4-9 and Supplementary Figures 3-6 as individual work
sheets (uploaded as .xlsx), and individual .csv files containing all the
data points used for graphs in Figures 4-9 and Supplementary Figures
2-6 (for non-proprietary format).
Abstract
In understanding the role of the neurovascular unit as both a biomarker
and target for disease interventions, it is vital to appreciate how the
function of different components of this unit change along the vascular
tree. The cells of the neurovascular unit together perform an array of
vital functions, protecting the brain from circulating toxins and
infection, while providing nutrients and clearing away waste products.
To do so, the brain’s microvasculature dilates to direct energy
substrates to active neurons, regulates access to circulating immune
cells, and promotes angiogenesis in response to decreased blood supply,
as well as pulsating to help clear waste products and maintain the
oxygen supply. Different parts of the cerebrovascular tree contribute
differently to various aspects of these functions, and previously, it
has been assumed that there are discrete types of vessel along the
vascular network that mediate different functions. Another option,
however, is that the multiple transitions in function that occur across
the vascular network do so at many locations, such that vascular
function changes gradually, rather than in sharp steps between clearly
distinct vessel types. Here, by reference to new data as well as by
reviewing historical and recent literature, we argue that this latter
scenario is likely the case and that vascular function gradually changes
across the network without clear transition points between arteriole,
precapillary arteriole and capillary. This is because classically
localised functions are in fact performed by wide swathes of the
vasculature, and different functional markers start and stop being
expressed at different points along the vascular tree. Furthermore,
vascular branch points show alterations in their mural cell morphology
that suggest functional specialisations irrespective of their position
within the network. Together this work emphasises the need for studies
to consider where transitions of different functions occur, and the
importance of defining these locations, in order to better understand
the vascular network and how to target it to treat disease.
Funding
A window into the brain: Imaging neural circuits involved in behaviour and neuropathologies