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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
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Culturing Microglia from the Neonatal and Adult Central Nervous System
Published on: August 9, 2013
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An acute microglial metabolic response controls metabolism and improves memory
Anne Drougard1,2, Eric H Ma3, Vanessa Wegert1,2
1Department of Epigenetics, Van Andel Research Institute, 333 Bostwick Ave, 49503, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|April 17, 2023
Summary
Short-term high-fat diet intake activates microglia, a brain immune cell, to metabolize fatty acids and release protective compounds, improving metabolism and memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Metabolism
- Immunology
Background:
- Chronic high-fat diet (HFD) intake leads to metabolic dysfunction like obesity and diabetes.
- The initial mechanisms linking HFD to these detrimental health outcomes are not fully understood.
Approach:
- Investigated the acute metabolic response of microglia to HFD.
- Utilized microglial ablation and DRP1 deletion models in vivo.
- Employed 13C-tracing experiments to track palmitate metabolism.
Key Points:
- High-fat intake rapidly increases palmitate in cerebrospinal fluid, activating microglial metabolism within 12 hours.
- Microglia exhibit mitochondrial changes and shift towards aerobic glycolysis.
- Palmitate is shunted towards anaplerosis, releasing lactate, glutamate, succinate, and itaconate.
Conclusions:
- Microglia act as crucial nutrient regulators, clearing harmful fatty acids and providing beneficial substrates.
- Acute microglial metabolic response to HFD improves brain metabolism and spatial learning/memory.
