Brain blood/fuel is supply limited rather than demand driven

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circular
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Brain blood/fuel is supply limited rather than demand driven

Post by circular »

I didn't see this here in a quick search. I found it interesting, although the conclusion isn't really new:

Brains also have supply chain issues – blood flows where it can, and neurons must make do with what they get
Neuroscientists have long assumed that neurons are greedy, hungry units that demand more energy when they become more active, and the circulatory system complies by providing as much blood as they require to fuel their activity. Indeed, as neuronal activity increases in response to a task, blood flow to that part of the brain increases even more than its rate of energy use, leading to a surplus.

...

Our findings also offer insight into aging. If neurons must make do with what energy they can get from a mostly constant blood supply, then the parts of the brain with the highest densities of neurons will be the first to be affected when there is a shortage – just like the largest cities feel the pain of a drought before smaller ones.

In the cortex, the parts with the highest neuron densities are the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. These areas are involved in short-term memory and the first to suffer in aging. More research is needed to test whether the parts of the brain most vulnerable to aging and disease are the ones with the greatest number of neurons packed together and competing for a limited blood supply.

If it’s true that capillaries, like neurons, last a lifetime in humans as they do in lab mice, then they may play a bigger role in brain health than expected. To make sure your brain neurons remain healthy in old age, taking care of the capillaries that keep them supplied with blood may be a good bet. The good news is that there are two proven ways to do this: a healthy diet and exercise, which are never too late to begin. [Emphasis added]
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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