Preventing ischemia after stroke: are pericytes the answer?

GM Weiner, AF Ducruet - Neurosurgery, 2014 - journals.lww.com
Optimization of microvascular tissue perfusion during an ischemic event and the subsequent
reperfusion period is essential in salvaging the hypoxic but still viable penumbra.
Historically, arterioles were considered to be the primary component of the vascular tree
involved in regulating blood flow; however, experimental work involving mouse
somatosensory cortex revealed dilation of firstorder capillaries before the penetrating
arterioles. 1 Closest in proximity to neurons, capillaries detect neuronal activity and …