April 7, 2006Annual Review of Neuroscience
Brain Work and Brain Imaging
Key Points
- Review advances in the cellular, metabolic, and neurophysiological mechanisms that govern functional brain imaging signals.
- Synthesized functional brain imaging findings from positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging studies assessing regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism.
- Evaluated physiological models linking cellular signaling, astrocytic regulation, and energetic pathways to imaging outputs.
- Imaging signals correspond predominantly to synaptic neuronal input processing rather than spiking output, with astrocytes actively mediating signal transduction.
- Aerobic glycolysis provides a critical and distinct contribution to local brain energy metabolism during activation.
- Intrinsic baseline activity constitutes the vast majority of brain energy expenditure, far exceeding the metabolic changes induced by specific tasks.
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Discussion
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Implication
Narrative review reveals cellular and metabolic drivers of neuroimaging signals in the human brain, highlighting the dominant energetic role of intrinsic neural activity.
Cite This Study
Raichle et al. (2006) studied this question.