Access
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
News and Views
Nature 456, 715-716 (11 December 2008) | doi:10.1038/456715a; Published online 10 December 2008
Open Innovation Challenges
-
Methods of Modeling Adaptation in Populations
The analysis of adaptation with a population is a frequently encountered computational modeling scen...
-
Optimizing Sub-cellular Localization Tags
The Seeker is looking for methods to optimize sub-cellular localization tags for protein expression....
- More Challenges
- Powered by:
nature jobs
Assistant Professor
- University of Texas
- Austin TX United States
International PhD Programme
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
- Cambridge, UK
Neuroscience: Brain power
Catherine N. Hall1 & David Attwell1
Abstract
The brain relies on blood to supply oxygen and glucose for energy. Surprisingly, neuronal activity, acting via supporting cells called astrocytes, can increase or decrease blood flow depending on whether oxygen levels are low or high.
The air entering our lungs contains 21% oxygen, and by the time the oxygen reaches our brain this value has fallen to 4%. Yet physiological experiments on isolated brain tissue traditionally use solutions containing 95% oxygen.
- Catherine N. Hall and David Attwell are in the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Email: d.attwell@ucl.ac.uk
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Neuroscience Controlled capillariesNature News and Views (12 Oct 2006)
Neurobiology Feeding the brainNature News and Views (09 Sep 2004)
Another BOLD role for astrocytes: coupling blood flow to neural activityNature Neuroscience News and Views (01 Feb 2006)
RESEARCH
Brain metabolism dictates the polarity of astrocyte control over arteriolesNature Article (11 Dec 2008)
Bidirectional control of CNS capillary diameter by pericytesNature Letters to Editor (12 Oct 2006)
