What is it about?
We investigated how metabolic energy supply and neuronal energy availability change across natural sleep states. Using wide-field fluorescence imaging through the intact skull of mice, we monitored brain blood volume, astrocytic pyruvate, and neuronal ATP. During REM sleep, blood volume and astrocytic pyruvate increased, while neuronal ATP decreased.
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Why is it important?
Brain activity is often inferred from changes in blood flow or blood volume. Our results show that increased vascular signals do not necessarily mean that more ATP is available inside neurons. Understanding this distinction may improve how we interpret brain metabolism and hemodynamic imaging.
Perspectives
The biological brain may not distribute energy uniformly. Instead, it may adaptively reallocate limited resources among blood vessels, astrocytes, and neurons according to the current mode of information processing.
Ko Matsui
Tohoku Daigaku
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Energy paradox in REM sleep: balancing supply and consumption in brain metabolism, Communications Biology, July 2026, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-026-10646-6.
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