Sharna Jamadar, PhD - Glucodynamics and the metabolic network of the human brain

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 

Relative to other organs in the human body, the brain relies upon a large energy budget, which is primarily met through the metabolism of glucose. This reliance on glucose shapes both the anatomical organisation of the brain network as well as its functional efficiency. A reliable and scalable (i.e., able to be up- and down-regulated on demand) supply of glucose is necessary for brain health, and changes in cerebral glucodynamics results in cognitive dysfunction, psychiatric illness and neurodegenerative disease. Coherent glucodynamic signals across the brain form a functional metabolic network that primarily reflects postsynaptic signals of information transfer in the brain.

In this presentation, I will discuss recent advances in understanding the dynamic nature of cerebral glucose metabolism and the metabolic network of the brain. By drawing upon simultaneous PET/MR data, I will demonstrate that the metabolic network of the brain provides unique and complementary insight into the functional organisation of the brain compared to the fMRI-derived functional network. Finally, I will discuss how glucodynamics and the metabolic network of the brain matures across the healthy adult lifespan.