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Originally Posted by JediSurfer  It would be very interesting to have an MRI scan during a hypo. To see which areas of the brain cease fuction first. My hypos can vary wildly. Sometimes it can be purely physical, other times completely mental and then a mixture of both to varying degrees. I am looking into finding out what is happening on a cellular level and how this affects the bodys organs inclueding the brain. |
I agree, it would be very interesting. One of the most vulnerable areas of the brain to hypoglycemia is the hippocampus, which is a tiny little area that plays a significant role in memory and in spatial location and navigation.
As for what's happening at the molecular level, a researcher at UCSF showed that hypoglycemic brain cell death was due to the activation of a particular enzyme that prevented neurons from metabolizing glucose into pyruvate, another fuel. So without pyruvate, neurons essentially starve and die. I believe hypoglycemia has to be severe and prolonged for this to happen, but who knows what effect all our "typical" little non-serious hypos are having on our brain cells. Best just not to have them!
