RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Glucose-Sparing Action of Ketones Boosts Functions Exclusive to Glucose in the Brain
JF eneuro
JO eNeuro
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP ENEURO.0303-20.2020
DO 10.1523/ENEURO.0303-20.2020
VO 7
IS 6
A1 Yuri Zilberter
A1 Tanya Zilberter
YR 2020
UL http://www.eneuro.org/content/7/6/ENEURO.0303-20.2020.abstract
AB The ketogenic diet (KD) has been successfully used for a century for treating refractory epilepsy and is currently seen as one of the few viable approaches to the treatment of a plethora of metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Empirical evidence notwithstanding, there is still no universal understanding of KD mechanism(s). An important fact is that the brain is capable of using ketone bodies for fuel. Another critical point is that glucose’s functions span beyond its role as an energy substrate, and in most of these functions, glucose is irreplaceable. By acting as a supplementary fuel, ketone bodies may free up glucose for its other crucial and exclusive function. We propose that this glucose-sparing effect of ketone bodies may underlie the effectiveness of KD in epilepsy and major neurodegenerative diseases, which are all characterized by brain glucose hypometabolism.