Different Approach to Understanding Brain and Blood Flow
Blood and the Brain
[NPR]
Episode 176: University of Arizona Mathematics and Physiology Professor Tim Secomb
April 8, 2019
Prof. Tim Secomb is researching blood flow and brain circuitry. He wants to know more about how the brain reacts when it is denied oxygen. For example, during a stroke, blood flow – and thus oxygen – to the brain is suddenly stopped, and some brain cells die. One basic part of this equation is physiological, but Prof. Secomb is developing a mathematical model that can reveal the relationship between neural activity in the brain and corresponding changes in blood oxygen level.
Tim Secomb spoke with Leslie Tolbert, PhD., Regents Professor Emerita in Neuroscience at the University of Arizona.
Scientist Tries Different Approach to Understanding Brain and Blood Flow
AZPM
By Anthony Perkins, AZPM NEWS
April 4, 2019
People facing the danger of stroke could benefit from research by a University of Arizona scientist combining the fields of mathematics and physiology. UA professor Tim Secomb is investigating ways a mathematical model might help physicians improve their understanding of what happens in the brain during a stroke, when the flow of blood to the brain is suddenly stopped.
"So, in that way we can use this mathematical model to test hypotheses on how this process of regulating blood flow works in the brain," he said.
Secomb's research looks at the activity of brain circuits and how they rely on a steady supply of oxygenated blood. The National Stroke Association counts stroke as the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. It says some people recover completely from strokes, but more than two-thirds of survivors emerge with some type of mental or physical disability.