Brain Energetics And Neuronal Activity PDF Download

The brain is an extremely energy consuming part of the body, which makes it dangerously vulnerable to metabolic stress. It’s no wonder then that abnormalities of brain energy metabolism are becoming the usual suspects and a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. The socioeconomic burden of these alone begs for urgent measures to be taken for better understanding both fundamental and applied problems of neuroenergetics and neuroprotection. For instance, brain imaging reveals that the diseased brains of Alzheimer’s patients cannot efficiently utilize the vital brain fuel, glucose. The resulting energy deficit causes neuronal hyperactivity, seizures and cognitive impairments. Administration of native energy substrates complementary to glucose is a logical (and attractive in its simplicity) approach in fighting the energy crisis in the brain*. The two closely related aspects of brain activity -- neuronal and metabolic – are currently considered to be of utmost importance in both fundamental and applied neuroscience. Although recently the studies of both brain activity and metabolism in normal conditions, under metabolic stress, and in neurodegenerative diseases have experienced significant progress, their overlapping areas deserve further clarification by joint efforts from experts in such fields as (1) energy demands, supplies, and efficiency at the cellular level: in neurons, glial elements, micro-vessels and in the process of their coordinated interactions; (2) specific roles of energy substrates in fine-tuning of the demand-supply mechanism in the condition of metabolic stress; and (3) the macro-level of energy homeostasis and dietary manipulations possible beneficial for neurodegenerative diseases. The result of combining into a coherent whole the recent findings in these fields will hopefully bring forward a broader view and better understanding of the knowledge continuum, which is under the threat of further fragmentation due to the unavoidable process of specialization in neuroscience. Current issue covers the three major groups of topics: 1. The Pros and Cons of studies of neuronal activity using brain slice preparations 2. The role of particular energy substrates in metabolic support of neuronal activity 3. The macro-level of energy homeostasis and the dietary manipulations that seem promising in prevention and correction of the diseases of brain energy metabolism.