The Brain's Instant Fuel Delivery: Unraveling the Mystery of Neurovascular Coupling
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: General Science (Biology - The Brain, Neurons, Circulatory System, Cells, Proteins).
Mains: GS Paper 3 (Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Awareness in the fields of Bio-technology).
Key Highlights from the News
Main Subject: The scientific secret of how the fuel (blood) required by active brain neurons (nerve cells) immediately reaches them through the entire blood supply network. This process is called Neurovascular Coupling.
New Discovery: Researchers have found that this rapid communication occurs through gap junctions that connect the cells in the walls of the brain's blood vessels.
Key Molecules: The study identified two proteins, Connexin 37 (Cx37) and Connexin 40 (Cx40), as crucial for forming these gap junctions and transmitting rapid signals.
Experimental Evidence: In mice where these proteins were genetically removed, the speed of blood vessel dilation was found to be one-third slower than in normal mice.
Significance of the Discovery:
This will help in understanding imaging technologies like fMRI, which measure brain activity, with greater accuracy.
It may help identify the causes of reduced blood flow to the brain in conditions like aging.
This will pave the way for developing new drugs to improve brain function.
COMMENTS