Energy-Efficient Action Potentials in Hippocampal Mossy Fibers

Abstract

Minimizing Brain Energy Consumption How much energy is actually required to generate neuronal activity and information processing? By combining direct recordings at physiological temperatures from mossy fiber axons in rat brain slices with modeling and simulation approaches, Alle et al. (p. 1405 ; see the Perspective by Magistretti ) found that the regenerative action potentials in nonmyelinated axons of mammalian hippocampus are remarkably energy efficient. The data indicate a surprisingly minor contribution of action potentials to the entire energy expenditure of neural information processing.