Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
08:36
Multi-Tracer Studies of Brain Oxygen and Glucose Metabolism Using a Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Scanner
Published on: June 7, 2024
Glycolysis: The Bridge Between Cellular Interaction and Alzheimer's Disease
Qian Lei1, Yinghan He1, Bo Fang1
1Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, NO. 155, North Nanjing Street, Heping District, Shenyang 110001, China.
Biomolecules
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves abnormal brain cell communication and energy metabolism. Targeting glycolysis, a key metabolic pathway, may offer new therapeutic strategies by modulating these cell interactions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Metabolic pathways
- Cellular biology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology involves neuronal damage and disrupted neuroimmune communication.
- Aberrant glycolysis, a core metabolic pathway, is implicated in AD progression.
- Altered cellular interactions in the brain microenvironment are critical in AD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review cell interactions in AD, including microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons.
- To elucidate the role of glycolysis in regulating cell-cell interactions during AD progression.
- To explore potential therapeutic strategies targeting glycolysis for AD treatment.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of cellular interactions in AD.
- Analysis of altered glycolytic profiles in AD neuronal cell types.
- Integration of current research on glycolytic pathway control and therapeutic approaches.
Main Results:
- Key changes in cell interactions (microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, neurons) contribute to neuroinflammation, synaptic loss, and amyloid deposition in AD.
- Glycolysis alterations influence neuronal signaling, inflammatory responses, and cellular functions, impacting cell-cell interactions.
- Dysregulated glycolysis acts as a mediator in altered cell-cell interactions throughout AD progression.
Conclusions:
- Glycolysis plays a crucial role in regulating cell-cell interactions within the neuroimmune microenvironment in AD.
- Modulating glycolysis offers a potential therapeutic avenue for AD by targeting intercellular communication.
- Metabolic reprogramming focused on glycolysis may provide a basis for novel disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Alzheimer disease involves structural changes in the brain that begin long before symptoms appear. The most distinctive features are extracellular neuritic plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles.Neuritic plaques form in the cerebral cortex and around blood vessels. These plaques contain a dense core of beta-amyloid (Aβ)—a toxic protein fragment that clumps outside neurons. The core is surrounded by damaged neuronal extensions, as well as reactive astrocytes and microglia. Abnormal...
01:29Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer disease is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia in older adults. It leads to gradual neuronal loss, causing cognitive decline, behavioral changes, and loss of functional independence.Risk Factors and EtiologyThe disease is multifactorial. Age is the strongest risk factor, with prevalence doubling every 5 years after age 65. Genetic factors include mutations in genes such as APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2, which are associated...
00:56What is Glycolysis?
Overview
Cells make energy by breaking down macromolecules. Cellular respiration is the biochemical process that converts "food energy" (from the chemical bonds of macromolecules) into chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The first step of this tightly regulated and intricate process is glycolysis. The word glycolysis originates from the Latin glyco (sugar) and lysis (breakdown). Glycolysis serves two main intracellular functions: generating ATP and generating...
Cells make energy by breaking down macromolecules. Cellular respiration is the biochemical process that converts "food energy" (from the chemical bonds of macromolecules) into chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The first step of this tightly regulated and intricate process is glycolysis. The word glycolysis originates from the Latin glyco (sugar) and lysis (breakdown). Glycolysis serves two main intracellular functions: generating ATP and generating...
01:26Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a continually advancing neurodegenerative disorder, distinguished by escalating memory loss, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia. The disease unfolds in three stages: preclinical, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia. Its onset is insidious, and the progression gradual, with the cause not well explained by other disorders.
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
01:23Glycolysis
Glycolysis, the Embden-Meyerhof pathway, is a central metabolic pathway involved in glucose catabolism. It is highly conserved across most organisms, reflecting its fundamental role in cellular energy production. This process occurs in the cytoplasm and can function both in the presence and absence of oxygen, making it versatile for various organisms and environmental conditions.Stages of GlycolysisGlycolysis is a ten-step pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate, generating a net gain of...
01:21Glycolysis: Preparatory Phase
In cellular metabolism (the complete breakdown of glucose to extract energy), glycolysis is the first step. Glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Glucose enters heterotrophic cells in two ways. One method is through secondary active transport, where the transport takes place against the glucose concentration gradient. The other mechanism uses a group of integral proteins called GLUT proteins, also known as glucose transporter proteins. These...