One key discovery was a linear relationship between the brain’s glucose metabolism and its functional connectivity. This meant that areas of the brain with more connections or activity also used more energy. Significantly, the frontoparietal networks, which are pivotal in high-level cognitive tasks like problem-solving and decision-making, were found to use up to 67% more energy than areas involved in basic sensory or motor functions. (View Highlight)
cerebro cita metabolismo diferencias cognición
It also highlighted that regions regulated more by neuromodulators, such as dopamine and serotonin, required more energy. This finding is crucial because it suggests that the human brain’s development, particularly its cognitive capabilities, may be as much about these energy-intensive regions as it is about overall size (View Highlight)
Furthermore, the study found a connection between the brain’s energy use and its evolutionary growth. Regions that have expanded the most in human evolution showed higher energy demands. On a microscale, areas with high energy costs also exhibited a higher density of cells in their lower layers (View Highlight)
the brain’s energy usage is intricately tied to our higher cognitive abilities. (View Highlight)