How Long Can the Brain Survive Without Oxygen?
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Jakarta – The human brain is an immensely complex and fragile organ that depends on a constant supply of oxygenated blood. Without oxygen, the brain's cells, including the signal-sending neurons that enable us to think and feel, begin to die.
But exactly how long can the brain go without oxygen?
The answer to this question is not completely clear-cut, Dr. Danny Gonzalez, a vascular neurologist and assistant professor at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona said, as reported from Live Science site.
The human brain requires more energy than any other organ in the body. Despite accounting for only 2% of the average adult's body weight, it uses about 20% of the oxygenated, fuel-filled blood pumped out by the heart, according to a 2021 review published in the journal Intensive Care Medicine.
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Our brain needs this huge oxygen supply to maintain its delicate balance of electrolytes, minerals that carry an electric charge and are key for conducting electrical impulses in the nervous system.
An imbalance of these electrolytes disrupts neurons' ability to send messages, because the cells rely on sodium and potassium flowing in and out of their membranes.
This flow is controlled by pumps in a neuron's membrane that malfunction without adequate oxygen.
The pumps' dysfunction leads to a rapid accumulation of sodium and water, causing neurons to swell; but that said, the exact mechanisms behind this swelling aren't incompletely understood, according to a 2021 review published in the journal Neurocritical Care.
The exact time it takes for the brain to incur irreversible damage or completely die from oxygen deprivation depends on several factors, including the extent and duration of the oxygen loss.
That is because an interruption to the brain's blood supply may be partial, as in the case of a stroke or certain head injuries, or it can be complete, as in cardiac arrest, in which heart function abruptly stops.
