Near-critical GLUT1 and Neurodegeneration
Journal of Neuroscience Research. 2017-02-02; 95(11): 2267-2274
DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23998
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Recent articles have drawn renewed attention to the housekeeping glucose
transporter GLUT1 and its possible involvement in neurodegenerative diseases.
Here we provide an updated analysis of brain glucose transport and the cellular
mechanisms involved in its acute modulation during synaptic activity. We discuss
how the architecture of the blood-brain barrier and the low concentration of
glucose within neurons combine to make endothelial/glial GLUT1 the master
controller of neuronal glucose utilization, while the regulatory role of the
neuronal glucose transporter GLUT3 emerges as secondary. The near-critical
condition of glucose dynamics in the brain suggests that subtle deficits in GLUT1
function or its activity-dependent control by neurons may contribute to
neurodegeneration. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.