scholarly journals Evidence of the Role of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Brain Glucose Metabolism

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1382
Author(s):  
Fabien Pifferi ◽  
Stephen C. Cunnane ◽  
Philippe Guesnet

In mammals, brain function, particularly neuronal activity, has high energy needs. When glucose is supplemented by alternative oxidative substrates under different physiological conditions, these fuels do not fully replace the functions fulfilled by glucose. Thus, it is of major importance that the brain is almost continuously supplied with glucose from the circulation. Numerous studies describe the decrease in brain glucose metabolism during healthy or pathological ageing, but little is known about the mechanisms that cause such impairment. Although it appears difficult to determine the exact role of brain glucose hypometabolism during healthy ageing or during age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, uninterrupted glucose supply to the brain is still of major importance for proper brain function. Interestingly, a body of evidence suggests that dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) might play significant roles in brain glucose regulation. Thus, the goal of the present review is to summarize this evidence and address the role of n-3 PUFAs in brain energy metabolism. Taken together, these data suggest that ensuring an adequate dietary supply of n-3 PUFAs could constitute an essential aspect of a promising strategy to promote optimal brain function during both healthy and pathological ageing.

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingmin Zhao ◽  
Ryota Imai ◽  
Naoyuki Ukon ◽  
Saki Shimoyama ◽  
Chengbo Tan ◽  
...  

Introduction: A recent clinical study revealed that Ninjin'yoeito (NYT) may potentially improve cognitive outcome. However, the mechanism by which NYT exerts its effect on elderly patients remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of Ninjin'yoeito on regional brain glucose metabolism by 18F-FDG autoradiography with insulin loading in aged wild-type mice.Materials and Methods: After 12 weeks of feeding NYT, mice were assigned to the control and insulin-loaded groups and received an intraperitoneal injection of human insulin (2 U/kg body weight) 30 min prior to 18F-FDG injection. Ninety minutes after the injection, brain autoradiography was performed.Results: After insulin loading, the 18F-FDG accumulation showed negative changes in the cortex, striatum, thalamus, and hippocampus in the control group, whereas positive changes were observed in the NYT-treated group.Conclusions: Ninjin'yoeito may potentially reduce insulin resistance in the brain regions in aged mice, thereby preventing age-related brain diseases.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinne Joffre ◽  
Anne-Laure Dinel ◽  
Mathilde Chataigner ◽  
Véronique Pallet ◽  
Sophie Layé

Aging is associated to cognitive decline, which can lead to loss of life quality, personal suffering, and ultimately neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroinflammation is one of the mechanisms explaining the loss of cognitive functions. Indeed, aging is associated to the activation of inflammatory signaling pathways, which can be targeted by specific nutrients with anti-inflammatory effects. Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are particularly attractive as they are present in the brain, possess immunomodulatory properties, and are precursors of lipid derivates named specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM). SPMs are crucially involved in the resolution of inflammation that is modified during aging, resulting in chronic inflammation. In this review, we first examine the effect of aging on neuroinflammation and then evaluate the potential beneficial effect of n-3 PUFA as precursors of bioactive derivates, particularly during aging, on the resolution of inflammation. Lastly, we highlight evidence supporting a role of n-3 PUFA during aging.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Cisternas ◽  
Paulina Salazar ◽  
Carmen Silva-Álvarez ◽  
L. Felipe Barros ◽  
Nibaldo C. Inestrosa

In the last few years, several reports have proposed that Wnt signaling is a general metabolic regulator, suggesting a role for this pathway in the control of metabolic flux. Wnt signaling is critical for several neuronal functions, but little is known about the correlation between this pathway and energy metabolism. The brain has a high demand for glucose, which is mainly used for energy production. Neurons use energy for highly specific processes that require a high energy level, such as maintaining the electrical potential and synthesizing neurotransmitters. Moreover, an important metabolic impairment has been described in all neurodegenerative disorders. Despite the key role of glucose metabolism in the brain, little is known about the cellular pathways involved in regulating this process. We report here that Wnt5a induces an increase in glucose uptake and glycolytic rate and an increase in the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway; the effects of Wnt5a require the intracellular generation of nitric oxide. Our data suggest that Wnt signaling stimulates neuronal glucose metabolism, an effect that could be important for the reported neuroprotective role of Wnt signaling in neurodegenerative disorders.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. e63492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nora D. Volkow ◽  
Dardo Tomasi ◽  
Gene-Jack Wang ◽  
Frank Telang ◽  
Joanna S. Fowler ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 01 (01) ◽  
pp. 27-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haibo Tan ◽  
Xiuming Li ◽  
Kai Wei ◽  
Yihui Guan

Aim: To assess the changes of brain glucose metabolism and abnormal intracerebral loop in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with visual spatial dysfunction by [Formula: see text]F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([Formula: see text]F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Materials and Methods: This study includes three groups: early PD patients with visual spatial dysfunction ([Formula: see text]), early PD patients without visual spatial dysfunction ([Formula: see text]) and healthy controls ([Formula: see text]). Resting-state [Formula: see text]F-FDG PET was performed to obtain the imaging of brain glucose metabolism. Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) was used for data analyses to compare the brain glucose metabolic changes among different groups. Results: Compared with the healthy controls, early PD patients (with/without visual spatial dysfunction) showed hypermetabolism in putamen, globus pallidus, thalamus, pons, cerebellum and primary motor cortex, and hypometabolism in part of the occipital and temporal lobes. Compared with early PD patients without visual spatial dysfunction, those with visual spatial dysfunction further showed hypometabolism in visual regions including bilateral lateral prefrontal cortices and posterior parietal lobules, besides occipital and temporal lobes. Conclusion: The occurrence of abnormal glucose metabolism in the brain visual processing areas was closely associated with visual spatial dysfunction in PD patients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 553-558
Author(s):  
Akiko HARAUMA ◽  
Toru MORIGUCHI

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