2023-12-23 20:00:00
The human brain has one of the highest energy demands on the body’s metabolism, unlike other species. An energy-intensive organ for several reasons.
All of our organs require energy to function properly, but some use more energy than others. The brain depends on a constant supply of energy. This is why, in humans, it is among the most energy-intensive organs.
Different energy levels in different regions of the brain
Although they make up regarding 15% of our weight, bones, for example, only use 5% of our metabolism. Made up of approximately 73% water for a weight of 1.5 kilos on average, or approximately 2% of the weight of the normal human body, brains use approximately 20% of our total energy consumption even when we are in sleep phase and, more surprisingly, even in patients plunged into a coma.
A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge, whose study results were published in Science Advance, scanned the brains of 30 people using a technique to simultaneously measure glucose metabolism and the amount of exchanges between neurons in the cortex. The goal: to determine whether the energy costs of functioning vary from one region of the brain to another.
The neocortex, the most energy intensive
Compared to other species, the human brain has one of the highest energy demands on the body’s metabolism. During human evolution, the neocortex – also known as the cerebral cortex – developed faster than other parts. This region is notably responsible for attention, thinking, planning, perception and even episodic memory, all tasks necessary for higher cognitive functions.
The metabolic costs of our brains increased as they grew, and they did so at an accelerating rate, with the neocortex growing faster than the rest of the brain. The latter requires around 67% more energy than the networks that control our movements.
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