The human body is made up of many interconnected systems. Everyone works together for the body. There are other systems including the nervous system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, digestive system and musculoskeletal system. But do you know how oxygen travels in the brain? Actually scientists have done research on it. Today we will tell you about it.
Oxygen in the brain
The human brain functions entirely on the energy generated and it Depends on oxygen. However, how oxygen is distributed in the brain still remains a mystery. At the same time, researchers have now developed a bioluminescence imaging technique for the first time. This technology maps the movement of oxygen in the brain. This shows through which routes oxygen reaches different parts of the brain. Scientists have tested this technology in the brains of rats.
What was discovered in the research?
Co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine Macken Nedergaard said that this research shows that we can continuously monitor changes in oxygen concentrations over a wide area of the brain. This gives us a more detailed picture of what is happening in the brain in real time. Which allows us to identify previously unknown areas of temporary hypoxia. This reflects changes in blood flow, which can trigger neurological conditions.
Macken Nedergaard said the findings could help understand how oxygen travels in the brain. At the same time, it can open new doors to better understand and treat issues like hypoxia. Which is a condition characterized by a decrease in the amount of oxygen reaching the body’s tissues. To map the movement of oxygen, the team has used luminescent proteins, which are chemical cousins of bioluminescent proteins found in fireflies.
Research conducted on rats
Researchers observed the entire cortex of mice in real time. The intensity of bioluminescence corresponds to the concentration of oxygen, which researchers have demonstrated by changing the amount of oxygen in the air the animals breathe. The team tried to understand what happens when small areas of the brain do not get oxygen for a short period of time.
While monitoring the mice, the researchers noticed that small areas of the brain did not receive oxygen intermittently. Kara would sometimes go into darkness for several seconds, which meant that the oxygen supply had stopped. These areas which researchers "hypoxic pockets" Name given. Let us tell you that during the resting state, the brain of rats was more prevalent than when the animals were active. Macken Nedergaard said this opens the door to studying a range of diseases linked to hypoxia in the brain, including Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia and long-term Covid. The study published in the journal Science states that systematically exploring the response to different experimental conditions indicates that physical activity like running can reduce the occurrence of hypoxic areas.
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