Cerebral blood flow response to functional activation

Olaf B Paulson, Steen G Hasselbalch, Egill Rostrup, Gitte Moos Knudsen, Dale Pelligrino, Olaf B Paulson, Steen G Hasselbalch, Egill Rostrup, Gitte Moos Knudsen, Dale Pelligrino

162 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral metabolic rate are normally coupled, that is an increase in metabolic demand will lead to an increase in flow. However, during functional activation, CBF and glucose metabolism remain coupled as they increase in proportion, whereas oxygen metabolism only increases to a minor degreethe so-called uncoupling of CBF and oxidative metabolism. Several studies have dealt with these issues, and theories have been forwarded regarding the underlying mechanisms. Some reports have speculated about the existence of a potentially deficient oxygen supply to the tissue most distant from the capillaries, whereas other studies point to a shift toward a higher degree of non-oxidative glucose consumption during activation. In this review, we argue that the key mechanism responsible for the regional CBF (rCBF) increase during functional activation is a tight coupling between rCBF and glucose metabolism. We assert that uncoupling of rCBF and oxidative metabolism is a consequence of a less pronounced increase in oxygen consumption. On the basis of earlier studies, we take into consideration the functional recruitment of capillaries and attempt to accommodate the cerebral tissue's increased demand for glucose supply during neural activation with recent evidence supporting a key function for astrocytes in rCBF regulation.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
Volume30
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)2-14
Number of pages13
ISSN0271-678X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2010

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