Cerebral energy metabolism, glucose transport and blood flow: changes with maturation and adaptation to hypoglycaemia

Brain maturation is characterized by a peak of cerebral energy metabolism and blood flow occurring between 3 and 8 years of age in humans and around 14-17 days of postnatal life in rats. This high activity coincides with the period of active brain growth. The human brain is dependent on glucose alone during that period, whereas rat brain uses both glucose and ketone bodies to cover its energetic and biosynthetic needs. The maturation of the density of glucose transporter sites-GLUT1 located at the blood-brain barrier and GLUT3 at the neuronal membrane-parallels the development of cerebral glucose utilization. During moderate acute hypoglycaemia, there are no changes in cerebral functional activity; cerebral glucose utilization decreases and blood flow increases only when hypoglycaemia is severe (lower than 2 mumol/ml). During chronic hypoglycaemia, the brain adapts to the low circulating levels of glucose: the number of glucose transporter sites is increased, and cerebral glucose utilization and function are maintained at normal levels while cerebral blood flow is more moderately increased than during acute hypoglycaemia. Neuronal damage consecutive to severe and prolonged hypoglycaemia occurs mainly in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and caudate-putamen as a result of active release of excitatory amino acids.