An energy costly architecture of neuromodulators for human brain evolution and cognition

Castrillon G, Epp S, Bose A, Fraticelli L, Hechler A, Belenya R, Ranft A, Yakushev I, Utz L, Sundar L, Rauschecker JP, Preibisch C, Kurcyus K, Riedl V (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

Science Advances American Association for the Advancement of Science

Book Volume: 9

Pages Range: eadi7632-

Journal Issue: 50

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi7632

Abstract

In comparison to other species, the human brain exhibits one of the highest energy demands relative to body metabolism. It remains unclear whether this heightened energy demand uniformly supports an enlarged brain or if specific signaling mechanisms necessitate greater energy. We hypothesized that the regional distribution of energy demands will reveal signaling strategies that have contributed to human cognitive development. We measured the energy distribution within the brain functional connectome using multimodal brain imaging and found that signaling pathways in evolutionarily expanded regions have up to 67% higher energetic costs than those in sensory-motor regions. Additionally, histology, transcriptomic data, and molecular imaging independently reveal an up-regulation of signaling at G-protein-coupled receptors in energy-demanding regions. Our findings indicate that neuromodulator activity is predominantly involved in cognitive functions, such as reading or memory processing. This study suggests that an up-regulation of neuromodulator activity, alongside increased brain size, is a crucial aspect of human brain evolution.

Involved external institutions

Klinikum rechts der Isar DE Germany (DE) Medizinische Universität Wien AT Austria (AT) Georgetown University US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Castrillon, G., Epp, S., Bose, A., Fraticelli, L., Hechler, A., Belenya, R.,... Riedl, V. (2023). An energy costly architecture of neuromodulators for human brain evolution and cognition. Science Advances, 9(50), eadi7632-. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi7632

MLA:

Castrillon, Gabriel, et al. "An energy costly architecture of neuromodulators for human brain evolution and cognition." Science Advances 9.50 (2023): eadi7632-.

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