Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Interdisciplinary Research have identified an energy source for central nervous system cells that had been overlooked. The discovery appeared in Nature Neuroscience and adds a new layer to how brain energy is understood. The study used mouse models and advanced imaging to observe how neural cells manage energy under stress, offering a fresh perspective on energy resilience in the brain.
The brain consumes large amounts of ATP to power signaling, maintenance, and synaptic remodeling. ATP serves as the currency that drives countless cellular processes, enabling neurons to fire, communicate, and adapt to changing conditions.
Unlike organs with local fat reserves, neurons and other CNS cells carry only modest energy stores in place, making them particularly dependent on ongoing energy supply from the body.
During brief drops in blood sugar, astrocytes can mobilize glycogen to cushion neuronal activity, but long-term glucose deficiency is linked to progressive neurodegeneration over time.
In the new study, scientists found that lipids produced by oligodendrocytes can feed CNS cells when glucose is scarce, helping to avert energy crises and their damaging consequences. The lipids contribute to the myelin sheath that coats axons and supports rapid, reliable signaling.
These oligodendrocyte lipids help form the myelin sheath that coats axons and supports rapid, reliable electrical conduction.
Genetically modified mice demonstrated that glial cells cope with glucose shortage by breaking down fatty acids from myelin and converting them into ATP, providing a supplementary energy source under stress.
Further tests showed that the energy from these lipids can sustain the firing of myelinated axons in the optic nerve, strengthening the link between lipid metabolism and neural activity.
Taken together, the results imply that the adult brain’s myelinated regions may harbor substantial energy reserves that can temporarily compensate for energy deficits.
These insights could influence how researchers study disorders tied to starvation-induced white matter loss, such as anorexia nervosa, and may open new avenues for protective strategies.
Earlier work has explored how nerve membranes stay healthy under energy stress, and this study adds a new piece to that ongoing inquiry. Cited in Nature Neuroscience.