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How is oxygen converted to energy in the human brain?

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Question added by Amal Brahmi , Primary teacher , Ajyal Alghad
Date Posted: 2014/05/05
Mohamed Khedr
by Mohamed Khedr , Researcher , Helmholtz Center Munich

The food we eat undergoes series of complex digestion stages until it's finally converted into Glucose; the the Mitochondrions in the brain cells react oxygen with glucose to obtain the body fuel which is called "Adenosine TriPhosphate" or simply (ATP). And that's how oxygen is converted into energy in the brain.

answer

 

You can think of the ATP's role as the role of the lithium battery in your cell phone!

This how the Adenosine molecule looks like when it has no energy (like an empty battery!) it's just "A"!

adenosine

 

And this is how it looks when it's fully charged (notice the extra tail of chemical bonds!) its "A+3P"!

atp

 

When body needs energy, it breaks down these extra chemical bonds (3P) which have energy stored in them, returning the "ATP" to its uncharged form "A". And to recharge these molecules all what we have to do is to eat and breathe :)

Ahmed Gendy
by Ahmed Gendy , English Senior Inspector , Ministry of Education (MoE)

We need a science teacher to explain for both of us if you don't know it,but I'll try to look it up.

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