Revisiting How the Brain Senses Glucose-And Why

Authors

Marie Aare Bentsen, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, Building 7 (Maersk Tower), Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark; University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Washington at South Lake Union, 750 Republican St, F704, Box 358062, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
Zaman Mirzadeh, Department of Neurological Surgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA.
Michael W. Schwartz, University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Washington at South Lake Union, 750 Republican St, F704, Box 358062, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. Electronic address: mschwart@u.washington.edu.

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Glucose-sensitive neurons have long been implicated in glucose homeostasis, but how glucose-sensing information is used by the brain in this process remains uncertain. Here, we propose a model in which (1) information relevant to the circulating glucose level is essential to the proper function of this regulatory system, (2) this input is provided by neurons located outside the blood-brain barrier (BBB) (since neurons situated behind the BBB are exposed to glucose in brain interstitial fluid, rather than that in the circulation), and (3) while the efferent limb of this system is comprised of neurons situated behind the BBB, many of these neurons are also glucose sensitive. Precedent for such an organizational scheme is found in the thermoregulatory system, which we draw upon in this framework for understanding the role played by brain glucose sensing in glucose homeostasis.

Keywords

blood-brain barrier, brain, glucose-sensing

Medical Subject Headings

Animals; Blood Glucose; Blood-Brain Barrier (metabolism); Body Temperature Regulation (physiology); Brain (physiology); Glucose (metabolism); Homeostasis; Humans; Neurons (metabolism)

Publication Date

1-8-2019

Publication Title

Cell metabolism

E-ISSN

1932-7420

Volume

29

Issue

1

First Page

11

Last Page

17

PubMed ID

30527741

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1016/j.cmet.2018.11.001

Recommended Citation

Bentsen, Marie Aare; Mirzadeh, Zaman; and Schwartz, Michael W., "Revisiting How the Brain Senses Glucose-And Why" (2019). Translational Neuroscience. 1247.
https://scholar.barrowneuro.org/neurobiology/1247