The energetic costs of the human brain
Across evolution, information processing in the brain has been rather tuned for energy than processing efficiency. Still, the majority of cortical energy is allocated towards information processing. We recently studied the energy demands along the brain connectome in humans and showed that slow chemical signaling is a major consumer in humans as compared to non-human primates.
Biography
I hold a Full Professorship for Neuroimaging at FAU where we study metabolic and immunological processes in the brain using high-field (7T) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Furthermore, we quantify the brain's energy metabolism at TUM on an integrated PET/MRI-scanner. I received my MD (Dr.med.) from TUM and my PhD (Systemic Neurosciences) from LMU after working as a Research Fellow at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. As a director of two award-winning documentaries, I have discovered film as a powerful medium for science communication.