<p>There is very little change in the overall brain energy metabolism with task.</p>

<p>This question has been answered previously at Biology.SE:
<a href="https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/839/how-does-the-brains-energy-consumption-depend-on-mental-activity">https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/839/how-does-the-brains-energy-consumption-depend-on-mental-activity</a></p>

<p>The top-voted answer there cites this review:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.neuro.29.051605.112819" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Raichle ME, Mintun MA. BRAIN WORK AND BRAIN IMAGING. Annual Review of Neuroscience 2006 Jul;29(1):449-476.</a></p>

<p>which states:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>the local energy consumption increase owing to a typical task-related response could be as little as 1%</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Although this may not seem intuitive, it does start to make sense when you consider the way energy is used by the brain and how brain activity changes over time. Active processing results in changes in patterns of brain activity: which <em>neurons</em> are active, not which <em>regions</em>. There is always a baseline level of activity happening in the brain, even in areas not involved in the current task.</p>

<p>Additionally, most of the energy used to support neurotransmission is by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%2B%2FK%2B-ATPase" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sodium/potassium pumps</a> that maintain ion concentration gradients. These pumps are always active, working against passive leak as well as neuronal activity. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-11T22:37:35.027Z
2020-04-11T22:37:35.027Z
Bryan Krause
<p>I wonder if the energy delivered to brain per unit time to maintain brain processes is limited and fairly constant? Is all provided energy fully used?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-07T20:58:59.940Z
Where have you read that energy supply is constant? Adding a reference to where you learned about this gives useful context for people to provide a better answer. Please edit your question accordingly.
Steven Jeuris
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-08T16:13:20.173Z
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/
Jabbar Bayramov
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-08T16:15:48.163Z
Third paragraph: Glucose is transported...
Jabbar Bayramov
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-09T12:25:28.600Z
What do you mean by "energy"?
Mark D Worthen PsyD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-09T18:29:25.570Z
I wonder if energy supply that maintain brain process are limited and fairly constant. And when we perform energy consuming brain operation like writing article or learning advanced subjects does brain stop some other operations?
Jabbar Bayramov
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-10T10:47:14.377Z
Please edit your question accordingly. Comments are temporary and will be removed over time.
Steven Jeuris
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-11T19:06:46.973Z
Welcome. I also recommend to edit the question and expand on *the energy delivered*. Energy in what form? Glucose, ATP, ...? And delivered from where? Through macroscopic processed (blood supply), cellular processes (epithelial cells in the vessels), or even molecular ones (blood-brain barrier). As of now the question is unclear, too broad, and open for debate.
AliceD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-11T21:14:02.817Z
I guess any type of energy which helps us read, learn, solve puzzles etc. and does not matter from where. I’d like to understand if our thinking has limit in engaging number of neurons per unit time which will limit how much we can think
Jabbar Bayramov
<neuroscience><theoretical-neuroscience>
Energy supply to brain
Jabbar Bayramov
# Energy supply to brain

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-05)

I wonder if the energy delivered to brain per unit time to maintain brain processes is limited and fairly constant? Is all provided energy fully used?

**Tags:** neuroscience, theoretical-neuroscience

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Where have you read that energy supply is constant? Adding a reference to where you learned about this gives useful context for people to provide a better answer. Please edit your question accordingly.  
> **username_0**: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22436/  
> **username_0**: Third paragraph: Glucose is transported...  
> **username_2**: What do you mean by "energy"?  
> **username_0**: I wonder if energy supply that maintain brain process are limited and fairly constant. And when we perform energy consuming brain operation like writing article or learning advanced subjects does brain stop some other operations?  
> **username_1**: Please edit your question accordingly. Comments are temporary and will be removed over time.  
> **username_3**: Welcome. I also recommend to edit the question and expand on *the energy delivered*. Energy in what form? Glucose, ATP, ...? And delivered from where? Through macroscopic processed (blood supply), cellular processes (epithelial cells in the vessels), or even molecular ones (blood-brain barrier). As of now the question is unclear, too broad, and open for debate.  
> **username_0**: I guess any type of energy which helps us read, learn, solve puzzles etc. and does not matter from where. I’d like to understand if our thinking has limit in engaging number of neurons per unit time which will limit how much we can think  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-04-11. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

There is very little change in the overall brain energy metabolism with task.

This question has been answered previously at Biology.SE:
<https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/839/how-does-the-brains-energy-consumption-depend-on-mental-activity>

The top-voted answer there cites this review:

[Raichle ME, Mintun MA. BRAIN WORK AND BRAIN IMAGING. Annual Review of Neuroscience 2006 Jul;29(1):449-476.](http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.neuro.29.051605.112819)

which states:

> the local energy consumption increase owing to a typical task-related response could be as little as 1%

Although this may not seem intuitive, it does start to make sense when you consider the way energy is used by the brain and how brain activity changes over time. Active processing results in changes in patterns of brain activity: which *neurons* are active, not which *regions*. There is always a baseline level of activity happening in the brain, even in areas not involved in the current task.

Additionally, most of the energy used to support neurotransmission is by the [sodium/potassium pumps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%2B%2FK%2B-ATPase) that maintain ion concentration gradients. These pumps are always active, working against passive leak as well as neuronal activity.


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