LONDON, England (Daily Mail), October 21, 2007: Scientists believe blood flowing through the brain may affect the way nerves transmit signals to other parts of the body. If the theory is true, it could be used to treat brain diseases including Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and epilepsy.
Practitioners of Chinese medicine and yoga have long taught that standing on your head can boost memory and sharpen alertness. It was already known that blood transports oxygen and fuel to brain cells. But scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the U.S., argue that blood may actually influence nerve function and help to regulate information passing through the brain.
Standing on your head could be used to help treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and epilepsy.
Other studies have shown that changes in blood flow affect the activity of nearby neurons, altering how they transmit signals to each other. The theory is borne out by brain scan studies of the sensory homunculus — the brain's detailed map of body parts such as fingers, toes, arms and legs.
When more blood flows to an area of the brain corresponding to the fingertip, for example, people appear to feel a light tap on their finger.
Dr Christopher Moore, from MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research, said: "Many lines of evidence suggest that blood does something more interesting than just delivering supplies. "If it does modulate how neurons relay signals, that changes how we think the brain works."
The theory could have implications for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy, which are caused by changes to the network of blood vessels feeding the brain.
Dr Moore said: "Most people assume the symptoms of these diseases are a secondary consequence of damage to the neurons. But we think they may also be a causative factor in the disease process and that insight suggests entirely new treatments." He said a drug that affects blood flow could be developed to provide an alternative treatment for epilepsy.
The scientists believe blood flow could affect brain activity in two ways.
* Blood contains biochemicals, which may leak out of vessels to affect neurons.
* Changes in blood volume could alter these chemicals' levels.
And they say it is possible that neurons and support cells called glia react to blood vessels expanding and contracting. Blood also influences the temperature of brain tissue, which may further affect neural activity.
© 2007 Associated Newspapers Ltd
