Cerebral Glucose Metabolism Diabetes

The brain uses glucose, or sugar, as its main fuel source. In fact, more than 60 percent of the glucose streaming through our blood is consumed by the brain. It makes glucose usable through a series of steps, where a single misstep can thwart the brain from getting the nutrient. When the brain doesn't get enough glucose, it can become impaired and damaged. Diabetes, when not properly controlled, can interfere with cerebral glucose metabolism and ultimately affect brain functioning. This is why uncontrolled diabetes can be indirectly linked to numerous maladies that are linked to brain functioning and it is believed that Alzheimer's disease may represent a third form of diabetes.

How the Brain Uses Glucose

• To metabolize glucose in the brain, or to perform cerebral glucose metabolism, requires a complex, multi-step process in which the sugar is transported into the brain--breaking the well walled blood-brain border, converted to another substance, completes a set of chemical reactions, and then ultimately oxidized to carbon dioxide and water for the full use of it as energy.

The Diabetic Brain

• Diabetes is marked by an inability of the body to produce and/or regulate insulin, a hormone that controls when and how the body uses blood sugar. There could be times when the body has too much glucose yet muscles--and the brain--are starved for energy because the insulin isn't working properly. The brain needs the right amount of glucose being steadily pumped to function properly. Else, it slips into noticeable cognitive decline.

Dangers of Impaired Cerebral Glucose Metabolism

• Very low levels of glucose can place diabetics in a perilous condition. They are more at risk of what are called "diabetic accidents" which include some minor cognitive impairment issues such as brain fog or forgetfulness to more serious incidents such as passing out while driving. Without getting the needed treatment to properly regulate insulin, diabetes could suffer from more severe brain problems including memory loss and stroke.

Research on the Brain and Impaired Glucose Metabolism

• In people without diabetes, the brain can compensate for temporary periods of low blood sugar. It happens to everyone. We overwork and don't eat enough and though we may get light-headed, the brain recovers by helping itself transport glucose into the brain, with special transporters. The brain does not use insulin but still depends on blood glucose for energy. It senses when the body's glucose supply is low and creates more of these transporters. In a diabetic brain, this mechanism doesn't work.

Functions Affected by Problems with Cerebral Glucose Metabolism

• In a Canadian study, diabetics who underwent a mental functioning exam had mild but noticeable cognitive issues. They had normal perception speed and reaction time, but they were slower on tests that required they be rapid and precise in processing new verbal information. Fortunately, research to date shows that with treatment, these mild impairments can be contained. The problem is there are millions of people, almost a quarter of all cases, with undiagnosed diabetes. The longer the disease goes untreated, the higher the risk one has of the severe cognitive decline associated with impaired cerebral glucose metabolism.