When electricity isn't enough: ORAI channels reinforce neurovascular coupling.

Neurovascular coupling ensures that active neuronal circuits receive the blood supply needed to sustain brain function. In this issue of Science Signaling, Lavanderos et al. identify STIM1-ORAI-mediated Ca2+ entry as a mechanism that reinforces capillary-to-arteriole communication, sustaining functional hyperemia during repetitive neuronal stimulation.