title: An artery-specific fluorescent dye for studying neurovascular coupling.
abstract: We demonstrate that Alexa Fluor 633 hydrazide (Alexa Fluor 633) selectively labels neocortical arteries and arterioles by binding to elastin fibers. We measured sensory stimulus-evoked arteriole dilation dynamics in mouse, rat and cat visual cortex using Alexa Fluor 633 together with neuronal activity using calcium indicators or blood flow using fluorescein dextran. Arteriole dilation decreased fluorescence recorded from immediately underlying neurons, representing a potential artifact during neuronal functional imaging experiments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Zhiming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Zhongyang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Pratik Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Chhatbar
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Herron
authors.forename: Prakash
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology; D002415:Cats; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D051379:Mice; D036641:Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton / Q000379:methods*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D056969:Voltage-Sensitive Dye Imaging / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes