Science Science Open Access
Oxygen Imaging of hypoxic pockets in the mouse cerebral cortex
Felix R. M. Beinlich*†, Antonios Asiminas†, Verena Untiet, Zuzanna Bojarowska, Virginia Plá, Björn Sigurdsson, Vincenzo Timmel, Lukas Gehrig, Michael H Graber, Hajime Hirase, Maiken Nedergaard · *Equal contribution
In brief: We developed GeNL, a genetically encoded bioluminescent oxygen sensor, to image cortical oxygen tension in awake, behaving mice. This revealed brief, spatially confined “hypoxic pockets” linked to stalled local capillary flow — and exercise reduced their burden by 52% compared with rest.