- Researchers investigated the glucose uptake and glucose metabolism in neurons.
- They found that neurons metabolize glucose themselves and that glucose metabolism is crucial for proper neuronal function.
- Further studies are needed to see whether these findings translate to humans.
The brain requires large amounts of energy to function. Glucose is the primary fuel for neurons. While the adult brain accounts for
How glucose is processed in the brain, however, has remained unknown. Some have suggested that glucose may be metabolized by supporter glial cells and then exported to neurons.
More recent studies suggest that neurons may be able to process glucose on their own. It has been difficult to determine whether this is the case due to difficulties in isolating neurons from glial cells for study.
Understanding how glucose is metabolized for energy in the brain could pave the way for new treatments for conditions linked to glucose uptake, such as
Recently, researchers conducted cell and mouse studies to assess how glucose is metabolized by neurons.
They found two proteins that make it possible for neurons to metabolize glucose themselves both in cell cultures and in animal models.
Dr. Charles Munyon, a functional neurosurgeon with Novant Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today:
“These findings appear to settle a long-standing controversy fairly definitively, and the study is elegantly designed. While it is still not clear what proportion of neuronal energy comes from direct glucose metabolism, we can be certain that the answer is not negligible.”
The study was published in
For the study, the researchers used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC’s) to generate human neurons. They then added the neurons to a labeled form of glucose. In doing so, they…
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