Pooneh Bagher

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Regulation of blood flow is required to maintain tissue perfusion throughout the body in proportion to metabolic demand. Resistance arterioles, comprised of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), endothelial cells (ECs) and perivascular nerves (PVNs), are the primary site of regulation, with subtle changes in diameter resulting in significant alterations in flow. The main goal of the Bagher laboratory is examining the subtle interplay between ECs, SMCs and PVNs using a range of in vivo and in vitro techniques in physiological and pathophysiological states. Since changes in intracellular calcium are crucial to the function of ECs, SMCs, and PVNs, we use confocal microscopy to image calcium dynamics in these cells. We are also interested in how vascular function is altered under extreme physiological conditions (like spaceflight!). 

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