Energy metabolism, brain size and longevity in mammals.
Abstract
The mathematical relations between basal energy metabolism, brain size, and life span in mammals have been investigated. The evolutionary level of brain development, or encephalization (c), is a function both of brain weight (E) and of body weight (P) according to (formula; see text) Brain weight was found to be a linear function of the product of encephalization and basal metabolic rate. The oxygen consumption of the brain (Mbrain) is proportional to both encephalization and body weight according to (formula; see text) The ratio of metabolic rate in the cerebral cortex to that in the brain as a whole depends solely upon the degree of encephalization and is independent of the size of the animal. The maximum potential life span of a mammal was found to be proportional to the product of its degree of encephalization and the reciprocal of its metabolic rate per unit weight. Life span may be regarded as the algebraic sum of two components: (1) a deduced somatic component (Lb) inversely related to the basal metabolic rate per unit weight, and (2) an encephalization component (Le) related directly to the evolutionary increase of relative brain size.
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The specific metabolic rate of the human brain is predictably low given its large size.
“even though the specific metabolic rate of the human brain is predictably low, given its large size [2].”
From Scaling of Brain Metabolism with a Fixed Energy Budget per Neuron: Implications for Neuronal Activity, Plasticity and Evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [2]
The declining specific rate of brain metabolism in larger mammalian species varies with brain mass raised to an exponent of around −0.14.
“The declining specific rate of brain metabolism (that is, metabolic rates per gram of tissue) in larger mammalian species, which varies with brain mass raised to an exponent of around −0.14 [2], [20]”
From Scaling of Brain Metabolism with a Fixed Energy Budget per Neuron: Implications for Neuronal Activity, Plasticity and Evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [2]
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References 93 · Cited by 241
- Authors
- Hofman, M. A.
- Corresponding author
- Hofman, Michel A.
- ORCID
- Hofman, Michel A.
- Venue
- The Quarterly Review of Biology
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- Published
- 1983-12
- Volume
- 58
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 495-512
- ISSN
- 0033-5770 (ISSN-L)
- 1539-7718
- OpenAlex
- W1966899336
- Cited by
- 241
- References
- 93
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 9.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Quarterly Review of Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Aging › Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Keywords
- encephalization, brain size, basal metabolic rate, lifespan, longevity, oxygen consumption, body weight, mammals, allometry, somatic aging
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain, Energy Metabolism, Biological Evolution, Longevity, Mammals, Oxygen Consumption
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