{"id":111931,"date":"2025-07-21T14:38:46","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T14:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?post_type=news&p=111931"},"modified":"2025-07-21T14:38:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T14:38:46","slug":"neurons-use-built-in-backup-batteries-that-fuel-the-brain-under-stress","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/neurons-use-built-in-backup-batteries-that-fuel-the-brain-under-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Neurons use built-in \u2018backup batteries\u2019 that fuel the brain under stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new Yale study reveals that neurons store their own sugar reserves that kick in to keep the brain functioning during metabolic\u00a0stress.<\/h4>\n
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A new Yale study has revealed that neurons \u2014 the energy-hungry cells that connect and direct activity in the brain \u2014 are equipped with \u201cbackup batteries\u201d that kick in to keep the brain running during periods of metabolic\u00a0stress.<\/p>\n

Writing in\u00a0Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/a>, researchers describe how neurons store their own glycogen, a form of sugar that helps neurons stay resilient when their main energy sources\u00a0falter.<\/p>\n

The findings illustrate how neuron cells can adapt their metabolism, researchers say, and could shape new treatments for neurological conditions like stroke, neurodegeneration, and epilepsy, all disorders in which energy failure plays a\u00a0role.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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It\u2019s like discovering that your car is a hybrid \u2014 it\u2019s not just reliant on gas stations, it\u2019s been carrying an emergency battery the whole\u00a0time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Milind Singh<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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\u201cTraditionally, it was believed that glial cells served as \u2018energy warehouses,\u2019 storing glycogen and supplying neurons with fuel as needed,\u201d said co-lead author Milind Singh, a doctoral student in cell biology at the Yale School of Medicine (YSM<\/span>).\u00a0\u201cBut we now know that neurons themselves store glycogen and can break it down when the pressure is on. It\u2019s like discovering that your car is a hybrid \u2014 it\u2019s not just reliant on gas stations, it\u2019s been carrying an emergency battery the whole\u00a0time.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the study, the research team used\u00a0a microscopic roundworm called\u00a0Caenorhabditis elegans<\/em>\u00a0(C. elegans<\/em>) \u2014 a type of worm commonly used in research \u2014 and a genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor called\u00a0HY<\/span>light, which glows in response to changes in glycolysis (the process cells use to break down sugar for\u00a0energy.)<\/p>\n

With custom-built devices, researchers precisely controlled the level of oxygen the living worms experienced and monitored how neurons responded to energy stress in real\u00a0time.<\/p>\n

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A breakthrough came when researchers discovered the enzyme\u00a0PYGL<\/span>-1, the worm\u2019s version of the human glycogen phosphorylase enzyme that converts glycogen into fuel for neurons. When researchers removed\u00a0PYGL<\/span>-1, the worm neurons could no longer ramp up energy during low-oxygen stress conditions; when the enzyme was specifically restored in neurons, that failure was\u00a0reversed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe discovered that neurons use two different strategies to adapt to energy stress: one that\u2019s glycogen-dependent, and one that isn\u2019t,\u201d explained co-lead author Aaron Wolfe, a postdoctoral neuroscience researcher. \u201cThe glycogen-dependent pathway is particularly critical when the mitochondria \u2014 one of the cell\u2019s primary energy producers \u2014 aren\u2019t functioning well. In those situations, glycogen serves as a backup system to provide energy via\u00a0glycolysis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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This research reshapes our understanding of brain energy metabolism and opens new avenues for exploring how to protect and support neuronal function in\u00a0disease.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Daniel Col\u00f3n-Ramos<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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The team coined the term \u201cglycogen-dependent glycolytic plasticity\u201d (GDGP<\/span>) to describe this phenomenon. They found that\u00a0GDGP<\/span>\u00a0is especially important when mitochondrial function is compromised \u2014 such as during hypoxia, a condition of limited oxygen supply. Under these conditions, glycogen serves as a low-cost, rapid-access fuel source, helping neurons stay active when other systems might stall. This metabolic adaptability, known as \u201cglycolytic plasticity,\u201d helps neurons maintain their core functions under\u00a0stress.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work challenges the textbook model of how the brain fuels itself. Neurons are more self-sufficient than we thought,\u201d Singh\u00a0said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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This research was done in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH<\/span>) through a grant that includes reimbursement for facilities and administrative expenses (also known as indirect cost reimbursements) that are necessary to ensure the safe conduct of research and compliance with federal\u00a0regulations.<\/p>\n

In February, the\u00a0NIH<\/span>\u00a0announced it would dramatically cut such reimbursements to universities, including Yale. The courts have blocked the cuts, but the threat\u00a0remains.<\/p>\n

At stake\u00a0is research that saves lives, strengthens the economy, and bolsters national interests. Yale projects in danger include research that saves infants born with heart defects,\u00a0extends the lives of cancer patients, addresses mental health challenges, and prevents\u00a0and slows the effects of Alzheimer\u2019s\u00a0disease.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Co-author Daniel Col\u00f3n-Ramos, the Dorys McConnell Duberg Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at\u00a0YSM<\/span>, said the study supports the notion of glycogen as an \u201cenergy capacitor\u201d in\u00a0neurons.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like in muscles, this reserve can buffer rapid shifts in energy demand,\u201d Col\u00f3n-Ramos said. \u201cThat flexibility might be crucial for how the brain maintains function and responds to stress. This research reshapes our understanding of brain energy metabolism and opens new avenues for exploring how to protect and support neuronal function in\u00a0disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other authors, all from Yale, include\u00a0Sarah Emerson, a postdoctoral researcher in neuroscience;\u00a0Ian J. Gonzalez, a graduate student in cell biology; Anjali A. Vishwanath and Anastasia Tsives, post-doctoral researchers in neuroscience; and Richard Goodman, a research scientist in\u00a0neuroscience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Original Post YaleNews<\/a><\/p>\n

Image by\u00a0Herney G\u00f3mez<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay<\/a><\/p>\n

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