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Coggan JS, Keller D, Calì C, Lehväslaiho H, Markram H, Schürmann F, Magistretti PJ. Norepinephrine stimulates glycogenolysis in astrocytes to fuel neurons with lactate. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006392. [PMID: 30161133 PMCID: PMC6160207 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of rapid energy supply to the brain, especially to accommodate the heightened metabolic activity of excited states, is not well-understood. We explored the role of glycogen as a fuel source for neuromodulation using the noradrenergic stimulation of glia in a computational model of the neural-glial-vasculature ensemble (NGV). The detection of norepinephrine (NE) by the astrocyte and the coupled cAMP signal are rapid and largely insensitive to the distance of the locus coeruleus projection release sites from the glia, implying a diminished impact for volume transmission in high affinity receptor transduction systems. Glucosyl-conjugated units liberated from glial glycogen by NE-elicited cAMP second messenger transduction winds sequentially through the glycolytic cascade, generating robust increases in NADH and ATP before pyruvate is finally transformed into lactate. This astrocytic lactate is rapidly exported by monocarboxylate transporters to the associated neuron, demonstrating that the astrocyte-to-neuron lactate shuttle activated by glycogenolysis is a likely fuel source for neuromodulation and enhanced neural activity. Altogether, the energy supply for both astrocytes and neurons can be supplied rapidly by glycogenolysis upon neuromodulatory stimulus. Although efficient compared to computers, the human brain utilizes energy at 10-fold the rate of other organs by mass. How the brain is supplied with sufficient on-demand energy to support its activity in the absence of neuronal storage capacity remains unknown. Neurons are not capable of meeting their own energy requirements, instead energy supply in the brain is managed by an oligocellular cartel composed of neurons, glia and the local vasculature (NGV), wherein glia can provide the ergogenic metabolite lactate to the neuron in a process called the astrocyte-to-neuron shuttle (ANLS). The only means of energy storage in the brain is glycogen, a polymerized form of glucose that is localized largely to astrocytes, but its exact role and conditions of use are not clear. In this computational model we show that neuromodulatory stimulation by norepinephrine induces astrocytes to recover glucosyl subunits from glycogen for use in a glycolytic process that favors the production of lactate. The ATP and NADH produced support metabolism in the astrocyte while the lactate is exported to feed the neuron. Thus, rapid energy demands by both neurons and glia in a stimulated brain can be met by glycogen mobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay S. Coggan
- Blue Brain Project, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (JSC); (PJM)
| | - Daniel Keller
- Blue Brain Project, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Corrado Calì
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Heikki Lehväslaiho
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Henry Markram
- Blue Brain Project, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Felix Schürmann
- Blue Brain Project, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Pierre J. Magistretti
- Blue Brain Project, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- * E-mail: (JSC); (PJM)
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Valette J, Tiret B, Boumezbeur F. Experimental strategies for in vivo 13C NMR spectroscopy. Anal Biochem 2016; 529:216-228. [PMID: 27515993 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2016.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In vivo carbon-13 (13C) MRS opens unique insights into the metabolism of intact organisms, and has led to major advancements in the understanding of cellular metabolism under normal and pathological conditions in various organs such as skeletal muscles, the heart, the liver and the brain. However, the technique comes at the expense of significant experimental difficulties. In this review we focus on the experimental aspects of non-hyperpolarized 13C MRS in vivo. Some of the enrichment strategies which have been proposed so far are described; the various MRS acquisition paradigms to measure 13C labeling are then presented. Finally, practical aspects of 13C spectral quantification are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Valette
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), MIRCen, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Brice Tiret
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), MIRCen, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Fawzi Boumezbeur
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), NeuroSpin, F-91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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Inkster BE, Zammitt NN, Ritchie SJ, Deary IJ, Morrison I, Frier BM. Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Hypoglycemia-Induced Cognitive Impairment and Recovery in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2016; 39:750-6. [PMID: 27006514 DOI: 10.2337/dc15-2335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 02/19/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To ascertain whether hypoglycemia in association with sleep deprivation causes greater cognitive dysfunction than hypoglycemia alone and protracts cognitive recovery after normoglycemia is restored. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Fourteen adults with type 1 diabetes underwent a hyperinsulinemic, hypoglycemic clamp on two separate occasions. Before one glucose clamp, the participants stayed awake overnight to induce sleep deprivation. Participants were randomized and counterbalanced to the experimental condition. Cognitive function tests were performed before and during hypoglycemia and for 90 min after restoration of normoglycemia. RESULTS Cognitive impairment during hypoglycemia did not differ significantly between the sleep-deprived and non-sleep-deprived conditions. However, in the sleep-deprived state, digit symbol substitution scores and choice reaction times were significantly poorer during recovery (P < 0.001) and hypoglycemia symptom scores were significantly higher (P < 0.001), even when symptoms that may have been caused by sleep deprivation, such as tiredness, were removed. CONCLUSIONS Hypoglycemia per se produced a significant decrement in cognitive function; coexisting sleep deprivation did not have an additive effect. However, after restoration of normoglycemia, preceding sleep deprivation was associated with persistence of hypoglycemic symptoms and greater and more prolonged cognitive dysfunction during the recovery period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berit E Inkster
- Department of Diabetes, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.
| | - Nicola N Zammitt
- Department of Diabetes, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K
| | - Stuart J Ritchie
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K
| | - Ian J Deary
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K
| | - Ian Morrison
- Department of Neurology, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, Scotland, U.K
| | - Brian M Frier
- Department of Diabetes, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K
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Zhang HY, Zhao YN, Wang ZL, Huang YF. Chronic corticosterone exposure reduces hippocampal glycogen level and induces depression-like behavior in mice. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2015; 16:62-9. [PMID: 25559957 DOI: 10.1631/jzus.b1400166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Long-term exposure to stress or high glucocorticoid levels leads to depression-like behavior in rodents; however, the cause remains unknown. Increasing evidence shows that astrocytes, the most abundant cells in the central nervous system (CNS), are important to the nervous system. Astrocytes nourish and protect the neurons, and serve as glycogen repositories for the brain. The metabolic process of glycogen, which is closely linked to neuronal activity, can supply sufficient energy substrates for neurons. The research team probed into the effects of chronic corticosterone (CORT) exposure on the glycogen level of astrocytes in the hippocampal tissues of male C57BL/6N mice in this study. The results showed that chronic CORT injection reduced hippocampal neurofilament light protein (NF-L) and synaptophysin (SYP) levels, induced depression-like behavior in male mice, reduced hippocampal glycogen level and glycogen synthase activity, and increased glycogen phosphorylase activity. The results suggested that the reduction of the hippocampal glycogen level may be the mechanism by which chronic CORT treatment damages hippocampal neurons and induces depression-like behavior in male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-yu Zhang
- Laboratory of Pathological Sciences, Basic Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
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Abstract
Glycogen provides an important glucose reservoir in the brain since the concentration of glucosyl units stored in glycogen is several fold higher than free glucose available in brain tissue. We have previously reported 3-4 µmol/g brain glycogen content using in vivo (13)C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in conjunction with [1-(13)C]glucose administration in healthy humans, while higher levels were reported in the rodent brain. Due to the slow turnover of bulk brain glycogen in humans, complete turnover of the glycogen pool, estimated to take 3-5 days, was not observed in these prior studies. In an attempt to reach complete turnover and thereby steady state (13)C labeling in glycogen, here we administered [1-(13)C]glucose to healthy volunteers for 80 h. To eliminate any net glycogen synthesis during this period and thereby achieve an accurate estimate of glycogen concentration, volunteers were maintained at euglycemic blood glucose levels during [1-(13)C]glucose administration and (13)C-glycogen levels in the occipital lobe were measured by (13)C MRS approximately every 12 h. Finally, we fitted the data with a biophysical model that was recently developed to take into account the tiered structure of the glycogen molecule and additionally incorporated blood glucose levels and isotopic enrichments as input function in the model. We obtained excellent fits of the model to the (13)C-glycogen data, and glycogen content in the healthy human brain tissue was found to be 7.8 ± 0.3 µmol/g, a value substantially higher than previous estimates of glycogen content in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gülin Öz
- Department of Radiology, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, 2021 6th St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
| | - Mauro DiNuzzo
- Museo storico della fisica e Centro di studi e ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy
| | - Anjali Kumar
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Amir Moheet
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Dienel GA, Cruz NF. Contributions of glycogen to astrocytic energetics during brain activation. Metab Brain Dis 2015; 30:281-98. [PMID: 24515302 PMCID: PMC4130810 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-014-9493-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2013] [Accepted: 01/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Glycogen is the major store of glucose in brain and is mainly in astrocytes. Brain glycogen levels in unstimulated, carefully-handled rats are 10-12 μmol/g, and assuming that astrocytes account for half the brain mass, astrocytic glycogen content is twice as high. Glycogen turnover is slow under basal conditions, but it is mobilized during activation. There is no net increase in incorporation of label from glucose during activation, whereas label release from pre-labeled glycogen exceeds net glycogen consumption, which increases during stronger stimuli. Because glycogen level is restored by non-oxidative metabolism, astrocytes can influence the global ratio of oxygen to glucose utilization. Compensatory increases in utilization of blood glucose during inhibition of glycogen phosphorylase are large and approximate glycogenolysis rates during sensory stimulation. In contrast, glycogenolysis rates during hypoglycemia are low due to continued glucose delivery and oxidation of endogenous substrates; rates that preserve neuronal function in the absence of glucose are also low, probably due to metabolite oxidation. Modeling studies predict that glycogenolysis maintains a high level of glucose-6-phosphate in astrocytes to maintain feedback inhibition of hexokinase, thereby diverting glucose for use by neurons. The fate of glycogen carbon in vivo is not known, but lactate efflux from brain best accounts for the major metabolic characteristics during activation of living brain. Substantial shuttling coupled with oxidation of glycogen-derived lactate is inconsistent with available evidence. Glycogen has important roles in astrocytic energetics, including glucose sparing, control of extracellular K(+) level, oxidative stress management, and memory consolidation; it is a multi-functional compound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald A Dienel
- Department of Neurology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Slot 500, 4301 W. Markham St., Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA,
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De Tiège X, Trotta N, Op de beeck M, Bourguignon M, Marty B, Wens V, Nonclercq A, Goldman S, Van Bogaert P. Neurophysiological activity underlying altered brain metabolism in epileptic encephalopathies with CSWS. Epilepsy Res 2013; 105:316-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2013.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Revised: 01/03/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Brain glycogen content and metabolism in subjects with type 1 diabetes and hypoglycemia unawareness. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2012; 32:256-63. [PMID: 21971353 PMCID: PMC3272603 DOI: 10.1038/jcbfm.2011.138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Supercompensated brain glycogen may contribute to the development of hypoglycemia unawareness in patients with type 1 diabetes by providing energy for the brain during periods of hypoglycemia. Our goal was to determine if brain glycogen content is elevated in patients with type 1 diabetes and hypoglycemia unawareness. We used in vivo (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in conjunction with [1-(13)C]glucose administration in five patients with type 1 diabetes and hypoglycemia unawareness and five age-, gender-, and body mass index-matched healthy volunteers to measure brain glycogen content and metabolism. Glucose and insulin were administered intravenously over ∼51 hours at a rate titrated to maintain a blood glucose concentration of 7 mmol/L. (13)C-glycogen levels in the occipital lobe were measured at ∼5, 8, 13, 23, 32, 37, and 50 hours, during label wash-in and wash-out. Newly synthesized glycogen levels were higher in controls than in patients (P<0.0001) for matched average blood glucose and insulin levels, which may be due to higher brain glycogen content or faster turnover in controls. Metabolic modeling indicated lower brain glycogen content in patients than in controls (P=0.07), implying that glycogen supercompensation does not contribute to the development of hypoglycemia unawareness in humans with type 1 diabetes.
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Beall C, Ashford ML, McCrimmon RJ. The physiology and pathophysiology of the neural control of the counterregulatory response. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2011; 302:R215-23. [PMID: 22071156 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00531.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Despite significant technological and pharmacological advancements, insulin replacement therapy fails to adequately replicate β-cell function, and so glucose control in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is frequently erratic, leading to periods of hypoglycemia. Moreover, the counterregulatory response (CRR) to falling blood glucose is impaired in diabetes, leading to an increased risk of severe hypoglycemia. It is now clear that the brain plays a significant role in the development of defective glucose counterregulation and impaired hypoglycemia awareness in diabetes. In this review, the basic intracellular glucose-sensing mechanisms are discussed, as well as the neural networks that respond to and coordinate the body's response to a hypoglycemic challenge. Subsequently, we discuss how the body responds to repeated hypoglycemia and how these adaptations may explain, at least in part, the development of impaired glucose counterregulation in diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig Beall
- Medical Research Institute, Division of Cardiovascular and Diabetes Medicine, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Univ. of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, United Kingdom
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