French researchers from the Brain Institute in Paris recently revealed a discovery about the functioning of the human brain. Their study, published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, sheds light on the mechanisms of the death wave, a phenomenon that occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen.
The birth of the death wave: shedding light on the brain deprived of oxygen
When the brain is deprived of oxygen, a complex process takes place. Researchers have found that this oxygen deprivation leads to a decrease in ATP, the fuel of brain, and disrupts the electrical balance of neurons. This phenomenon causes a massive release of glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, which leads to a drastic decrease in neuronal activity. It is then that thewave of deatha high amplitude wave which propagates in the brain and alters its function and structure.
Exploring the origins and effects of the death wave
Researchers conducted experiments on rats to better understand the origin and effects ofwave of death. They found that this wave propagated from the pyramidal neurons in layer 5 of the cortex and traveled in two directions: upward, reaching the surface of the brain, and downward, penetrating into the white matter. This dynamic, observed under different experimental conditions, could also exist in humans.
A glimmer of hope: reversing the tide of death
Despite its sinister name, thewave of death is not necessarily synonymous with end of life. Researchers discovered that it could be reversed by a resuscitation wave as soon as the brain was replenished with oxygen. This mirrored wave announces the resumption of brain functioning and allows the recovery of neuronal functions, thus demonstrating that neuronal death is a process spread over time.
A new understanding of brain death
This revolutionary discovery brings new perspectives in understanding human brain activity. It challenges the traditional notion of brain death by showing that it is a gradual and complex process. As reported DoctissimoProfessor Stéphane Charpier of Sorbonne University, head of the research team, emphasizes that this study highlights the current impossibility of rigorously dissociating death from life, and that even a flat electroencephalogram does not necessarily mean definitive arrest. brain functions.
