Noradrenergic Modulation of Cerebral Cortical Oxidative Metabolism

The delivery of oxygen and glucose to the cerebral cortex is tightly matched to energy demand under a wide variety of physiologic and probably under some pathophysiologic conditions. The maintenance of this relationship must involve the ability to detect changes in metabolic requirements and to modify the delivery of oxygen and substrates through a delicate control of cerebral blood flow (CBF). Furthermore, since many physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions cause only regional alterations in cerebral metabolic activity, tight matching of supply and demand will have to act at a local, regional or global level.