Hemodynamic and neuronal responses to cocaine differ in awake versus anesthetized animals: Optical brain imaging study

Kicheon Park, Wei Chen, Nora D. Volkow, Craig P. Allen, Yingtian Pan, Congwu Du

Abstract: Highlights•Introduction of a new optical-imaging platform to simultaneously measure cerebral vasculature and neuronal Ca2+ responses in awake animals.•Demonstration that isoflurane anesthesia dilated cerebral vessels and increased cerebral blood flow (CBFv), while decreasing neuronal activity (as measured by neuronal [Ca2+]i fluorescent transients).•Demonstration that cocaine effects differed when given in the anesthetized versus the awake state; during anesthesia cocaine triggered vasoconstriction, reduced CBFv and increased intracellular Ca2+ in neurons whereas in the awake state these changes were not observed.•In the awake state, cocaine increased neuronal [Ca2+]i transients, narrowed the frequency range of transients and enhanced neuronal synchronization.