Dissertation on neurological diseases and the relation among blood flow, glucose and oxygen metabolism compared to healthy people

The brain's blood flow is responsible for delivering oxygen and sugar to the brain, which is essential as neurons live on this. In a healthy brain at rest, there is a well-defined relation among blood flow, oxygen uptake, and consumption of sugar. However, neurological diseases often disrupt this balance. Quantifying these associations in healthy and sick people, at rest and during activation, is crucial for understanding the disease pathology and developing better treatments.

The purpose of the dissertation was to investigate whether the brain's blood flow and oxygen consumption remain closely linked during physical stimulation, or whether discrepancies between these occur during physical activity.

Vafaee's results in the dissertation introduce a new perspective on the link between blood circulation and oxygen consumption.First, the dissertation shows that under certain circumstances increased blood circulation can actually lead to greater oxygen consumption than was previously thought during physical activity. Secondly, the dissertation shows that the type, the load, and the intensity of activity determine how much different areas of the brain consume oxygen.

This may have an impact on the treatment of patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).