Data from: Rat retinal vasomotion assessed by laser speckle imaging

Vasomotion is spontaneous or induced rhythmic changes in vascular tone or vessel diameter that lead to rhythmic changes in flow. While the vascular research community debates the physiological and pathophysiological consequence of vasomotion, there is a great need for experimental techniques that can address the role and dynamical properties of vasomotion in vivo. We apply laser speckle imaging to study spontaneous and drug induced vasomotion in retinal network of anesthetized rats. The results reveal a wide variety of dynamical patterns. Wavelet-based analysis shows that (i) spontaneous vasomotion occurs in anesthetized animals and (ii) vasomotion can be initiated by systemic administration of the thromboxane analogue U-46619 and the nitric-oxide donor S-nitroso-acetylDL-penicillamine (SNAP). Although these drugs activate different cellular pathways responsible for vasomotion, our approach can track the dynamical changes they cause.

血管运动（Vasomotion）指自发或诱发产生的血管张力或血管管径的节律性变化，可引发血流量的节律性改变。尽管血管研究学界对血管运动的生理及病理生理效应仍存在诸多争论，但当前亟需可用于在活体（in vivo）层面探究血管运动的作用与动态特性的实验技术。本研究采用激光散斑成像（Laser Speckle Imaging）技术，对麻醉大鼠视网膜网络中的自发性及药物诱导性血管运动进行研究。研究结果揭示了多种丰富的动态模式。基于小波分析的结果显示：其一，麻醉动物体内可出现自发性血管运动；其二，通过全身给予血栓烷类似物U-46619与一氧化氮供体S-亚硝基乙酰基-DL-青霉胺（SNAP），可诱导血管运动发生。尽管上述两种药物通过不同的细胞通路调控血管运动，但本研究方法可精准追踪它们所引发的动态变化。