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Article: FYI.(brain research)(rock concerts)
- Article from:
- Popular Science
- Article date:
- July 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Bonnier Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Melissa A. Calderone, Eric Mika, Darrin Burgess
Q Do you use more energy when you're thinking really hard?
A Need to lose some flab? Sit your big butt down with a math book--and feel the burn. The human brain is a 24-hour workhorse. While you're thinking, millions of neurons fire messages back and forth to each other and to the various tissues in the body. These neurons need fuel, consuming a full 75 percent of the blood sugar from the liver and 20 percent of the body's total used oxygen. Here's how your neurons feed: Astrocytes--the cells near the capillary walls in your brain--suck energy-rich glucose from the bloodstream and convert it into a ...