🗺️We mapped #MuralCells — including #pericytes and #smoothmuscle — as vectors➡️ to visualize where #PrimaryCilia🌟 occur across the 🐁🧠 #microvasculature.
The result? A striking pattern: #cilia are abundant on #capillaries and #venules, but almost absent on #arterioles.
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By recording #cortical #angiograms during i.v. injection of FITC-dextran 🟢 in #adult and #old #NG2DsRed mice, we time-colored the #arterioles 🔴 and #venules 🔵. We found that #OldMice have less #collaterals and more #tortuous #PenetratingArterioles.

Here is a #precapillarysphincter. As #arterioles 🟢 dive into the 🧠, they branch to smaller vessels. When larger arterioles (15-25um) branch into #capillaries, they need a #sphincter (3-4um) to reduce #RBC flow⚫️ and pressure in the #capillary. The resistance is provided by #muralcell🔴 encirclement.