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The ketogenic diet increases brain glucose and ketone uptake in aged rats: A dual tracer PET and volumetric MRI study

The ketogenic diet increases brain glucose and ketone uptake in aged rats: A dual tracer PET and volumetric MRI study

Authors :
Alexandre Courchesne-Loyer
Scott Nugent
Stephen C. Cunnane
Maggie Roy
Sébastien Tremblay
Jennifer Tremblay-Mercier
Luc Tremblay
Jean-François Beaudoin
Maxime Descoteaux
Roger Lecomte
Source :
Brain Research. 1488:14-23
Publication Year :
2012
Publisher :
Elsevier BV, 2012.

Abstract

Despite decades of study, it is still unclear whether regional brain glucose uptake is lower in the cognitively healthy elderly. Whether regional brain uptake of ketones (β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate [AcAc]), the main alternative brain fuel to glucose, changes with age is unknown. We used a sequential, dual tracer positron emission tomography (PET) protocol to quantify brain (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) and (11)C-AcAc uptake in two studies with healthy, male Sprague-Dawley rats: (i) Aged (21 months; 21M) versus young (4 months; 4M) rats, and (ii) The effect of a 14 day high-fat ketogenic diet (KD) on brain (18)F-FDG and (11)C-AcAc uptake in 24 month old rats (24M). Similar whole brain volumes assessed by magnetic resonance imaging, were observed in aged 21M versus 4M rats, but the lateral ventricles were 30% larger in the 21M rats (p=0.001). Whole brain cerebral metabolic rates of AcAc (CMR(AcAc)) and glucose (CMR(glc)) did not differ between 21M and 4M rats, but were 28% and 44% higher, respectively, in 24M-KD compared to 24M rats. The region-to-whole brain ratio of CMR(glc) was 37-41% lower in the cortex and 40-45% lower in the cerebellum compared to CMR(AcAc) in 4M and 21M rats. We conclude that a quantitative measure of uptake of the brain's two principal exogenous fuels was generally similar in healthy aged and young rats, that the % of distribution across brain regions differed between ketones and glucose, and that brain uptake of both fuels was stimulated by mild, experimental ketonemia.

Details

ISSN :
00068993
Volume :
1488
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Brain Research
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....f640990c0cedd7cd03f1ffb1d55c23d1
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2012.10.008