Dynamics of parameters characterizing the energy metabolism of the rat cerebral cortex at late stages of ontogeny

Parameters that characterize the energy metabolism of the brain-the field potential and temperature of the cerebral cortex-were studied in rats of different ages. The results showed that, at late ontogenetic stages, these nonspecific parameters of energy metabolism undergo multiphasic changes which are qualitatively similar in both hemispheres. The interhemispheric temperature and electrophysiological gradients are maintained throughout individual development, which is regarded as a factor accounting for asymmetry in the aging of the cerebral hemispheres. The problem of age-related changes in energy expenditures for the maintenance of these interhemispheric gradients is discussed. It is suggested that the multiphasic dynamics of the parameters studied are associated with changes in the type of control over metabolic processes and cerebral functions providing for the maintenance of homeostasis in different periods of life.