What Are the Causes of Oxygen in the Brain?

The body is an ingenious organism, a study of checks and balances. Oxygen is needed by every human body--it's required for not only the organs but also the brain to function properly. However, too much oxygen can throw off this balance and negatively affect the brain.

Breathing Rate

• When you inhale too much oxygen, your breathing rate accelerates, which results in even more carbon dioxide exhalation from the lungs. When you exhale more carbon dioxide than usual, your blood vessels narrow, which prevents oxygen from reaching both the tissues and the brain.

Release of Hormones

• According to Dr. Ronald Harper, a professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, inhaling too much oxygen affects the hypothalamus, the portion of the brain that regulates the outflow of hormones, as well as the heart rate. "The hypothalamus overreacted by dumping a massive flood of hormones and neurotransmitters into the bloodstream. These chemicals interfere with the heart's ability to pump blood and deliver oxygen--the opposite effect you want when you're trying to resuscitate someone."

Death

• Stephen Trzeciak, MD, of Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey, discovered that administration of pure oxygen to patients who have had a heart attack produces an 80 percent higher risk of death.