Does brain activity generate heat gradients in the brain?

Asked May 25 '13 at 01:12

Active May 25 '13 at 01:12

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I'm reading this article on guiding axon growth using temperature gradient, and it mentions that the trajectory of growth of neuron connections can be influenced by temperature gradients as little as 0.1C.

This got me thinking - does thinking generate heat or increases blood flow enough to create heat gradients within the brain? If so, this may explain how the brain rewires itself.

asked May 25 '13 at 01:12

Alex Stone

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It is well-known that brain activity locally rises blood flow and temperature, and so there is a temperature gradient from the brain tissue (source) to the vascular tissue (sink). But this isn't what you're anticipating, probably. – biozic May 25 '13 at 10:13
I've re-read the article and it actually mentions that heat repels the axon growth(text under the photo). This is indeed not an answer I was anticipating. – Alex Stone May 26 '13 at 01:40
Possible duplicate of How does the brain's energy consumption depend on mental activity? – theforestecologist Apr 01 '17 at 03:59

Does brain activity generate heat gradients in the brain?

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