Study shows human brains can reach nearly 41°C
June 28, 2022
- Brain temperature can be two degrees above rest of body.
- Deeper regions of brain found to be above 40 degrees.
- It was found to be coolest at night.
While the temperature of the human body is normally around 37 degrees Celsius, a study has shown that the brain can be at times two degrees above the rest of the body.
The participants of the study that was published in the journal Brain had an average temperature of 38.5 degrees Celsius which was 2.5 degrees more than the average temperature measured inside the mouth.
The deeper regions of the brain were found to be above 40 degrees. The highest recorded temperature was 40.9 degrees.
The research found that the brain temperatures fluctuated. Changes are frequent and dependent on age, sex, menstrual cycle, area of the brain, and even the time of the day.
"For me, the most surprising finding is that a healthy human brain can reach temps that are diagnosed as fever anywhere else in the body," Dr John ONeil of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, said.
Previously, the "normal" brain temperature was not defined.
Gender was seen as an important factor as females were found to have warmer brains when in the second half of their menstrual cycle.
The brain was found to be the coolest at night.
The authors believe that their findings will contribute clinically to treating brain injury.
