What percent of the body's energy does the brain consume?

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Multiple Choice

What percent of the body's energy does the brain consume?

Explanation:
The brain’s energy burden is extremely high because neural activity is metabolically demanding. Neurons constantly maintain and reset electrical gradients to fire signals, which requires a lot of ATP to power ion pumps like Na+/K+ ATPase. After ions flow during an action potential, these pumps work hard to restore the resting balances, and that ion-pumping workload accounts for a large portion of the brain’s energy use. In addition, energy is spent on synaptic transmission, neurotransmitter synthesis and recycling, and various cellular maintenance tasks that keep neurons ready to respond. Even though the brain is only about 2% of body weight, it typically consumes around 20% of the body's energy at rest. This proportion can vary with activity and individual differences, but 20% is the standard estimate.

The brain’s energy burden is extremely high because neural activity is metabolically demanding. Neurons constantly maintain and reset electrical gradients to fire signals, which requires a lot of ATP to power ion pumps like Na+/K+ ATPase. After ions flow during an action potential, these pumps work hard to restore the resting balances, and that ion-pumping workload accounts for a large portion of the brain’s energy use. In addition, energy is spent on synaptic transmission, neurotransmitter synthesis and recycling, and various cellular maintenance tasks that keep neurons ready to respond. Even though the brain is only about 2% of body weight, it typically consumes around 20% of the body's energy at rest. This proportion can vary with activity and individual differences, but 20% is the standard estimate.

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