Modeling columnar spatiotemporal dynamics of nitric oxide as a primary controlling element of arteriole dilation during neurovascular coupling

Although the mechanism of neurovascular coupling remains inadequately understood, physiological research has indicated that the dilation of arterioles located within the cerebral cortex column might represent the primary mechanism of hemodynamic response during neurovascular coupling. This study examined the spatiotemporal pattern of NO diffusion induced by functional stimuli at column spatial resolution. Our modeling makes it possible to explore the responses of mediating factors to functional stimuli from a four-dimensional view, which may lead the way to decoding the mechanism of neurovascular coupling.