Spatial correlation between brain aerobic glycolysis and amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition

AG Vlassenko, SN Vaishnavi… - Proceedings of the …, 2010 - National Acad Sciences
AG Vlassenko, SN Vaishnavi, L Couture, D Sacco, BJ Shannon, RH Mach, JC Morris…
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010National Acad Sciences
Amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition can precede the clinical manifestations of dementia of the
Alzheimer type (DAT) by many years and can be associated with changes in brain
metabolism. Both the Aβ plaque deposition and the changes in metabolism appear to be
concentrated in the brain's default-mode network. In contrast to prior studies of brain
metabolism which viewed brain metabolism from a unitary perspective that equated glucose
utilization with oxygen consumption, we here report on regional glucose use apart from that …
Amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition can precede the clinical manifestations of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) by many years and can be associated with changes in brain metabolism. Both the Aβ plaque deposition and the changes in metabolism appear to be concentrated in the brain's default-mode network. In contrast to prior studies of brain metabolism which viewed brain metabolism from a unitary perspective that equated glucose utilization with oxygen consumption, we here report on regional glucose use apart from that entering oxidative phosphorylation (so-called “aerobic glycolysis”). Using PET, we found that the spatial distribution of aerobic glycolysis in normal young adults correlates spatially with Aβ deposition in individuals with DAT and cognitively normal participants with elevated Aβ, suggesting a possible link between regional aerobic glycolysis in young adulthood and later development of Alzheimer pathology.
National Acad Sciences