{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T10:15:52Z","timestamp":1785406552225,"version":"3.56.0"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,14]]},"group-title":"Neuroscience","reference-count":56,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,14]],"date-time":"2026-04-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776124800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/about\/FAQ#license"}],"funder":[{"award":["R01AG081840"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01AG081840"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01cwqze88","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["R61NS137365"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R61NS137365"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01cwqze88","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["R01AG077731"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01AG077731"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01cwqze88","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["R01AG062738"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01AG062738"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01cwqze88","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,14]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  Capillary pericytes contact most of the brain\u2019s microvasculature. Yet, their influence on blood flow remains incompletely understood both locally in capillary networks and across brain regions. Here, we sparsely expressed the chemogenetic actuator Gq-DREADD in mouse brain pericytes to stochastically probe their contractility and influence on tissue perfusion and oxygenation. Chemogenetic stimulation induced robust contraction of pericytes over minutes, including those with thin processes on capillary segments proximal to venules, indicating control of vascular tone across the entire capillary bed. Pericyte contraction combined circumferential compression with longitudinal tension applied through thin processes, resulting in vasoconstriction and hypoperfusion. Histology revealed hypoxic microdomains induced by sparse pericyte contraction across the brain, and enriched hypoxia in limbic structures including the amygdala and hippocampus. These microscale perfusion deficits were undetectable by arterial spin labeling MRI. Our findings reveal the\n                  <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                  mechanics of pericyte contraction and identify limbic system vulnerability to capillary flow impairment.\n                <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.04.11.717917","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T03:45:12Z","timestamp":1776224712000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Chemogenetic Pericyte Activation Reveals Broad Contractile Ability and Limbic Vulnerability to Capillary Flow Deficits"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Liam T.","family":"Sullivan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle Children\u2019s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dickson T.","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative 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Science University, Portland, OR"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bradley","family":"Marxmiller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Taylor","family":"McGillis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle Children\u2019s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuandong","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle Children\u2019s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephanie K.","family":"Bonney","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Developmental Biology and 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USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Juliane","family":"Gust","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children\u2019s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA"},{"name":"Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle WA, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhen","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anusha","family":"Mishra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR"},{"name":"Helfgott Research Institute, National University of Natural Medicine, Portland, OR, 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