The role of astrocytes in neurovascular coupling in health and ageing

Clare is a neuroscientist with an interest in neurovascular coupling. It is critical for normal brain function that neural energy demands are met. Neural activity leads to a local increase in cerebral blood flow, a relationship termed neurovascular coupling. The mechanisms underlying this relationship are incompletely understood but involve many cell types including neurons, glia, and vascular cells. Based at the University of Sheffield, Clare's laboratory uses imaging techniques ranging from the cellular level (multiphoton laser-scanning microscopy) to the whole brain (fMRI) to investigate how astrocytes are involved in neurovascular coupling and how this relationship changes in ageing.