FIGURE 1.

Cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurovascular coupling. (A) Schematic of the components of the neurovascular unit at the capillary level. (B) Major pathways of astrocyte contribution in NVC upon physiological conditions. (C,D) Dysregulation of neurovascular coupling upon different pathological conditions, i.e., ischemic stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. Some of the insets provided in panel (B) are omitted for clarity in these panels. For the same reason, the reduction in ATP production and the effects on K⁺ fluxes are indicated only in the astrocyte, but involve also the other cells.