Cited by 356Thermal Regulation in MedicineThermoregulation and physiological responsesTraumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances

Brain temperature and its fundamental properties: a review for clinical neuroscientists

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Wang, Huan, Wang, Bonnie, Normoyle, Kieran P., Jackson, Kevin, Spitler, Kevin, Sharrock, Matthew F., Miller, Claire M., Best, Catherine +2 more·2014·Frontiers in Neuroscience

Abstract

Brain temperature, as an independent therapeutic target variable, has received increasingly intense clinical attention. To date, brain hypothermia represents the most potent neuroprotectant in laboratory studies. Although the impact of brain temperature is prevalent in a number of common human diseases including: head trauma, stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, mood disorders, headaches, and neurodegenerative disorders, it is evident and well recognized that the therapeutic application of induced hypothermia is limited to a few highly selected clinical conditions such as cardiac arrest and hypoxic ischemic neonatal encephalopathy. Efforts to understand the fundamental aspects of brain temperature regulation are therefore critical for the development of safe, effective, and pragmatic clinical treatments for patients with brain injuries. Although centrally-mediated mechanisms to maintain a stable body temperature are relatively well established, very little is clinically known about brain temperature's spatial and temporal distribution, its physiological and pathological fluctuations, and the mechanism underlying brain thermal homeostasis. The human brain, a metabolically "expensive" organ with intense heat production, is sensitive to fluctuations in temperature with regards to its functional activity and energy efficiency. In this review, we discuss several critical aspects concerning the fundamental properties of brain temperature from a clinical perspective.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fnins.2014.00307

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234 of 235 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • In humans, the brain's core temperature can be up to 2°C higher than body temperature.

    “The brain’s core temperature can be up to 2°C higher than body temperature, and variances of 0.5–1°C exist between the brain’s center and surface (Wang et al., 2014; Gowda et al., 2018).”

    From Comparative analysis of energy transfer mechanisms for neural implants (2024) · cites this paper as Wang et al., 2014

    The Human data overview says deep brain temperature is generally higher than body temperature in humans, supporting the direction of the claim. It does not report a 2°C difference: it gives an average below 1°C and a theoretical maximum of approximately 0.9°C under physiological conditions, while noting that severe cerebral injury can disrupt regulation. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The brain's intrinsic thermoregulatory mechanisms, including cerebrospinal fluid, intracranial blood flow, and capillary networks, act as thermal buffers.

    “This is especially crucial given the brain’s intrinsic thermoregulatory mechanisms, including the cerebrospinal fluid, intracranial blood flow, and capillary networks that act as thermal buffers (Wang et al., 2014).”

    From Comparative analysis of energy transfer mechanisms for neural implants (2024) · cites this paper as Wang et al., 2014

    The Human data overview calls CSF a CNS temperature buffer, and Thermal gradients and intracerebral temperature fluctuations describes perfusing blood as a heat sink. The Cerebrospinal fluid section infers thermal interaction at the capillary level, but does not establish capillary networks as thermal buffers in their own right. No page numbers were provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Variances of 0.5-1°C exist between the human brain's center and surface.

    “The brain’s core temperature can be up to 2°C higher than body temperature, and variances of 0.5–1°C exist between the brain’s center and surface (Wang et al., 2014; Gowda et al., 2018).”

    From Comparative analysis of energy transfer mechanisms for neural implants (2024) · cites this paper as Wang et al., 2014

    The Human data overview reports a gradient from the hotter core to the cooler periphery in humans. It does not give a 0.5–1°C center-to-surface difference; its numerical comparisons are between brain sites and body temperature, not between the brain’s center and surface. No page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Most processes within the brain show sensitivity to temperature changes.

    “As a review by Wang et al. (2014) summarizes, most of the processes within the brain show sensitivity to temperature changes.”

    From Comparative analysis of energy transfer mechanisms for neural implants (2024) · cites this paper as Wang et al., 2014

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2 of the 237 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 7

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Authors
Wang, H., Wang, B., Normoyle, K. P., Jackson, K., Spitler, K., Sharrock, M. F., Miller, C. M., Best, C., Llano, D., & Du, R.
Affiliations
  • Carle Foundation Hospital (US)
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
Wang, Huan
Venue
Frontiers in Neuroscience
Published
2014-10-08
Volume
8
Pages
307-307
ISSN
1662-453X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2166795165
Cited by
356
References
237
Citations by year
2026: 29 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 42 · 2021: 40 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 7
FWCI
2.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine › Thermal Regulation in Medicine
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Thermoregulation and physiological responses
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances
Keywords
brain temperature, therapeutic hypothermia, neuroprotection, brain temperature regulation, brain injury, cardiac arrest, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, head trauma, stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases, brain energy metabolism

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