Inherent randomness in the flow rate of red blood cells through capillaries could be a cause of oxygen fluctuations in the brain.
Depleting the protein ADORA2B from the blood of mice led to faster cognitive decline, decreased auditory processing, and increased brain inflammation.
Decreased blood flow and blood oxygen levels to the hippocampus may explain symptoms of memory loss associated with Alzheimer's. Researchers say increasing hippocampal blood flow could reverse or protect against symptoms of the neurodegenerative disorder.
Pregnant women exposed to nitrates through household drinking water had, on average, babies that weighed ten grams less than women with no exposure to nitrates in drinking water. High levels of nitrate in tap water can cause infant methemoglobinemia, a fatal condition in newborns.
Dysfunction in brain cells caused by low oxygen is caused by the same responder system that is intended to be protective.
Researchers directly measured oxygen levels in an intact brain and correlated it with neural activity. During normal activity, only 50% of oxygen is used for neural activity, the remaining 50% is required for glial cells and maintaining the metabolic rate of other nerve cells.
Researchers have been able to spark a hibernation-like state in mice by artificially exciting Q neurons.
Cognitive challenges trigger a slight oxygen deficit in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. This increases the production of erythropoietin (Epo) and its receptors in the active neurons, stimulating neighboring precursor cells to form new neurons and enhancing connectivity.
Study identifies a genetic mutation that reduces the ability to efficiently exercise.
Blood can bring more oxygen into the brains of mice following exercise as increased respiration increases oxygen levels in hemoglobin.
Study reveals as we sleep, cerebrospinal fluid pulses in the brain in rhythmic patterns.
A lack of oxygen as a result of preterm birth does not cause hippocampal neurons to die but does impair hippocampal development. Hypoxia causes hippocampal cells to fail to mature normally, causing a reduction in long-term potentiation and impaired learning.
