Weber Bruno, Barros L Felipe
University of Zürich, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
Centro de Estudios Científicos, Casilla 1469, Valdivia, Chile.
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2015 Feb 13;7(12):a020396. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a020396.
Brain metabolism is characterized by fuel monodependence, high-energy expenditure, autonomy from the rest of body, local recycling, and marked division of labor between cell types. Although neurons spend most of the brain's energy on signaling, astrocytes bear the brunt of the metabolic load, controlling the composition of the interstitial fluid, supplying neurons with energy substrates and precursors for biosynthesis, and recycling neurotransmitters, oxidized scavengers, and other waste products. Outstanding questions in this field are the role of oligodendrocytes, the metabolic behavior of the different subtypes of astrocytes during development and disease, and the emerging notion that metabolism may participate directly in information processing.
脑代谢的特点是对单一燃料的依赖、高能量消耗、与身体其他部分相对独立、局部循环以及细胞类型之间显著的分工。尽管神经元将大脑的大部分能量用于信号传导,但星形胶质细胞首当其冲承受代谢负荷,控制细胞间液的成分,为神经元提供能量底物和生物合成前体,并回收神经递质、氧化清除剂和其他废物。该领域尚未解决的问题包括少突胶质细胞的作用、星形胶质细胞不同亚型在发育和疾病过程中的代谢行为,以及代谢可能直接参与信息处理这一新兴概念。