A small population of nerve cells appears to be responsible for blood flow and neural activity across the entire brain, findings that could have significant implications in the study of sleep , dementia, and overall brain health.

The type of cell is referred to as a type-I nNOS neuron. Found in sparse numbers mostly in deep cortical layers, they are considered to be vulnerable to mental stress . To understand more about the type-I nNOS neuron's role, researchers from Pennsylvania State University selectively removed them from the brains of mice to study the effects.

Without type-I nNOS neurons, the brains exhibited reduced blood flow, weaker pulsation of the blood (known as vasomotion), and decreased neural activity. Slow brain waves called delta waves also became weaker, and the

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