News Section | Neurobiology
Brain consumes majority of energy for intrinsic activity
Ongoing, intrinsic brain activity that is not task-related accounts for the majority of energy used by the human brain, according to a new study.
Marcus Raichle of the Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO), described the current understanding of the spontaneous, intrinsic activity of the human brain as “still very much a work in progress.”
A part from it, he provided a clear and comprehensive overview of the most recent observations derived from modern brain imaging techniques.
These included findings related to spatial and temporal patterns of intrinsic brain activity, the relationship between spontaneous activity and consciousness, the fact that a lack of direct physical connections between brain structures does not preclude functional connectivity, the link between age and changes in brain function and connectivity, and the integration of major brain systems during a task compared to when the brain is at rest.
The findings appear in the new neuroscience journal Brain Connectivity.
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