Applied cerebral physiology

The brain uses large amounts of glucose for its basal energy requirements, and these are further increased during cerebral activation. In order that glucose can provide this energy, a plentiful and uninterrupted supply of oxygen is necessary. Cerebral blood flow is therefore critical for normal cerebral function. Its control is dictated by local intrinsic metabolic needs as well as extraneous factors such as arterial blood pressure, arterial carbon dioxide and oxygen tension, temperature and neural factors. This article reviews cerebral metabolism and cerebral blood flow and techniques by which both can be monitored.