The brain has a high energy demand and reacts very sensitively to oxygen deficiency. The neurobiologists have now succeeded for the first time in directly correlating oxygen consumption with the activity of certain nerve cells.
The brain requires a disproportionate amount of energy compared to its body mass. This energy is mainly generated by aerobic metabolic processes that consume considerable amounts of oxygen. Therefore, the oxygen concentrations in the brain are an important parameter that influences the function of nerve cells and glial cells. However, how much oxygen is consumed in the brain and how this is related to neuronal activity was so far largely unknown. The neurobiologists have now succeeded for the first time in directly measuring this in the intact brain and correlating it with nerve cell activity. The scientists report on their results in the journal BMC Biology.
In an already established animal model - tadpoles of the clawed frog Xenopus laevis - the scientists used electrochemical sensors to determine the concentration of oxygen in the brain and in one of the brain ventricles. They were able to specifically control the amount of oxygen available to the brain as well as inhibit nerve cell activity with the help of pharmacological substances. Using the example of nerve cells that control eye movements, the scientists succeeded in directly recording the relationship between oxygen consumption and nerve cell activity.
"We have found that the brain is anoxic in a normal air-saturated environment, which means that no oxygen can be measured," says the author.
The complete oxygen was therefore immediately used by the cells to synthesize energy-rich substances. If more than twice the atmospheric oxygen concentration was available, the energy metabolism was saturated and oxygen was abundantly present in the brain.
"We were also able to show that during normal operation only about 50 percent of the oxygen is used for nerve cell activity," says the author. "So the other 50 percent are required for glial cells and for maintaining the basic metabolic rate of nerve cells. However, nerve cells with increased activity consume more oxygen."
In order to better understand how information is processed in the brain, knowledge of the relationship between oxygen availability and brain activity is essential. The scientists' results provide initial insight into this and are an important basis for further investigations of the brain's energy balance in future experiments and for measuring oxygen consumption for various nerve cell functions. This could also be relevant from a medical point of view, for example to better understand the consequences of oxygen deficiency in the brain or to better interpret the information on brain activity obtained with imaging techniques.
https://www.en.uni-muenchen.de/news/newsarchiv/2020/straka_oxygen.html
https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-020-00811-6
http://sciencemission.com/site/index.php?page=news&type=view&id=publications%2Frelationship-between_2&filter=22
How much oxygen does the brain need?
- 826 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
Hyperactivation of memory c…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Maternal obesity may promot…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
The neuronal basis of opioi…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Circadian clock can be leve…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Connecting genetic risk for…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Other Top Stories
Largest study ever confirms psychological sex differences and autis…
Read more
Defective DNA damage repair and genome chaos may lead to brain tumor
Read more
Is pain a self-fulfilling prophecy
Read more
Better heart health from metabolism of dietary fiber by beneficial…
Read more
How your muscles form
Read more
Protocols
Accessible high-speed image…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
SEMORE: SEgmentation and MO…
By newseditor
Posted 26 May
Spatially resolved lipidomi…
By newseditor
Posted 24 May
Efficient expansion and CRI…
By newseditor
Posted 21 May
Massively parallel in vivo…
By newseditor
Posted 20 May
Publications
Phase locking of hippocampa…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Interactions between physic…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Lipid-associated macrophage…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Maternal obesity increases…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Why cells need iron: a comp…
By newseditor
Posted 30 May
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar