Delivery and utilisation of energy in the brain Flashcards
Brain at rest consumuption:
- 60% of glucose utilisation of human at rest
- 20% of oxygen utilisation
- 120 g of glucose a day
- 1760 kJ / day = 20 Watts = dim light bulb
Astrocytes
Type of Glial cell
wrap around the blood vessels
NT Release 1
- Action potential arrives
- Presynaptic cell depolarises
- ‘physiological’ depolarisation
- Release by vesicle fusion
- Vesicles each contain
- 250-5000 molecules of Glutamate
NT release 2
- Diffusion across the synapse
- Activation of next cell
- Na+ enters cell
- K+ released
- Post synaptic cell depolarises
What 2 key tasks remain after NT release?`
- REPOLARISATION of cells
- REMOVAL OF NT
Features of Repolarisation
- Requires ATP for energy
- Net REMOVAL of cations from cell - ELECTROGENIC
GLUTAMATE
- Highly active at receptors
- Depolarises post-synaptic cells
- they can not pass on new messages
- Can swell and die
- Gives rise to major energy use (75% in primates)
EFFECTIVE REMOVAL OF GLUTAMATE IS VITAL
What takes up Glutamate?
what is the uptake powered by?
Astrocytes
uptake powered by ionic gradients running down
hence Na/K ATPase - needs ATP
What happens to the Glutamate inside the Astrocyte?
-
Glutamate is converted in to Glutamine
- Requires another ATP
- Glutamine exported and taken-up pre-synaptically
- Converted and packed into vesicles - requires ATP
What is Neurovascular coupling?
What does activity in the neuron lead to?
Neurovascular coupling
- name of process in which local neuron activity is monitored and then subsequent changes in cerebral blood flow occur
Activity leads to:
- increased blood flow to deliver OXYGEN and GLUCOSE
astrocytes uptaking the NT are made aware of the energy requirements and are responsible for sending numerous messages to the blood vessels to change blood supply
GLUCOSE
- only source of energy for the brain
- transported into the glial cells mainly
- conversion into glc-6-phosphate needs energy
- from here either
- metabolised
- or stored as glycogen
- from here either
- N.B glycogen stores limited, rapid turnover, imp local energy source “brain’s battery”
Brain when can it work/can’t work?
Brain is able to work in the ABSENCE OF OXYGEN:
- e.g. in hypoxia or stroke etc
- lactate/NAD+ production, allows glycolysis to continue
Brain CAN’T work in the ABSENCE OF GLUCOSE
Where does glucose metabolism take place?
Cytosol
What are the 2 fail safe anatomical features of the Brain’s circulation?
- Circle of Willis
- surface network : Leptomeningeal collateral circulation
Leptomeningeal Collateral Circulation
- like a fishing net draped over the brain
- supplied by 3 major inputs:
- MCA, ACA, PCA
- From the meshwork that sits over the hemispheres
- penetrating arteries descend into cerebral cortex and white matter
- perforating arteries from proximal vessels supply the deep grey matter