Food for thought: the importance of glucose and other energy substrates for sustaining brain function under varying levels of activity.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_AAA9AF268CE3
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Publication sub-type
Review (review): journal as complete as possible of one specific subject, written based on exhaustive analyses from published work.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Food for thought: the importance of glucose and other energy substrates for sustaining brain function under varying levels of activity.
Journal
Diabetes and Metabolism
Author(s)
Pellerin L.
ISSN
1878-1780[electronic], 1262-3636[linking]
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2010
Volume
36
Number
Suppl 3
Pages
S59-S63
Language
english
Abstract
The brain requires a constant and substantial energy supply to maintain its main functions. For decades, it was assumed that glucose was the major if not the only significant source of energy for neurons. This view was supported by the expression of specific facilitative glucose transporters on cerebral blood vessels, as well as neurons. Despite the fact that glucose remains a key energetic substrate for the brain, growing evidence suggests a different scenario. Thus astrocytes, a major type of glial cells that express their own glucose transporter, play a critical role in coupling synaptic activity with glucose utilization. It was shown that glutamatergic activity triggers an enhancement of aerobic glycolysis in this cell type. As a result, lactate is provided to neurons as an additional energy substrate. Indeed, lactate has proven to be a preferential energy substrate for neurons under various conditions. A family of proton-linked carriers known as monocarboxylate transporters has been described and specific members have been found to be expressed by endothelial cells, astrocytes and neurons. Moreover, these transporters are subject to fine regulation of their expression levels and localization, notably in neurons, which suggests that lactate supply could be adjusted as a function of their level of activity. Considering the importance of energetics in the aetiology of several neurodegenerative diseases, a better understanding of its cellular and molecular underpinnings might have important implications for the future development of neuroprotective strategies.
Keywords
Lactate, Glucose, Substrates, Ketone bodies, Astrocyte, Neuron, Monocarboxylate transporters, Review
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
02/03/2011 15:49
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:14
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