Energy metabolism in the brain
General: The temporal variation of the oxygen content in the blood is an important component of functional magnetic resonance tomography (BOLD-fMRI). The oxygen content is regulated by various metabolic processes in the brain.
Objectiv: To which extent the MRI-induced results are influenced by dementia changes in the brain can be investigated using mathematical models of the different biological components.
Method: The metabolic processes in different cell types and areas of the human brain are described by differential equations. The concentration of oxygen, glucose, lactate and carbon dioxide in the blood are used as boundary conditions. Variations of the parameters for enzyme activities, enzyme regulations and volume ratios allow the investigation of different scenarios and stages of disease.
Result: Various changes in brain metabolism observed in Alzheimer's patients can be investigated with the developed model. As a result, disease-specific changes in oxygen dynamics can be calculated. The results obtained help to evaluate the importance of the course of the disease for the application of imaging procedures such as functional MRI in clinical practice.
- Analysis of fMRI image of a human brain using developed metabolic modelling tool
- Schematic illustration of the coupling of different model components within the “VPH Dare @ IT” project
- Dynamic oxygen concentration in neurons and astrocytes
