Chuck DarwinThe human brain, a mere
💥two percent of our body weight, consumes nearly
💥a quarter of our body’s glucose
— that’s what kickstarts the brain’s fuel system.
“Along with a few other labs around the world, we’ve observed that brain activity is very energy-demanding,” said #Fahmeed #Hyder, professor of biomedical engineering & radiology and biomedical imaging.
“It consumes a lot more energy than what the size of that organ would indicate.”
Every living brain has its own internal rhythm of activity created by periodic electrical discharges.
Over time, that rhythm can vary across regions due to numerous factors, both in health and in disease.
But exactly how these rhythms of brain activity and spatial distribution of brain energy vary is unclear.
To get a better understanding of this, Hyder and his collaborators created a 3-dimensional brain energy atlas.
Working with researchers at Fudan University in China, Hyder’s aim for the atlas is to serve as the next generation of neuroscientific tools
— a reference that explains exactly how much and where in the brain this energy is being consumed.
Developed computationally, or in silico, a 3D energy map brings not only a better understanding of the brain’s inner workings, but potentially better ways to study and treat Parkinson’s disease and other brain-related maladies.
