[18F]FDG PET signal is driven by astroglial glutamate transport

Eduardo R Zimmer; Maxime J Parent; Débora G Souza; Antoine Leuzy; Clotilde Lecrux; Hyoung-Ihl Kim; Serge Gauthier; Luc Pellerin; Edith Hamel; Pedro Rosa-Neto

doi:10.1038/nn.4492

[¹⁸F]FDG PET signal is driven by astroglial glutamate transport

Nat Neurosci. 2017 Mar;20(3):393-395. doi: 10.1038/nn.4492. Epub 2017 Jan 30.

Authors

Eduardo R Zimmer^{1

2}, Maxime J Parent¹, Débora G Souza^{2

3}, Antoine Leuzy¹, Clotilde Lecrux⁴, Hyoung-Ihl Kim^{5

6}, Serge Gauthier¹, Luc Pellerin³, Edith Hamel⁴, Pedro Rosa-Neto^{1

7}

Affiliations

¹ Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory (TNL), McGill Center for Studies in Aging (MCSA), Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, and Pharmacology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
² Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
³ Department of Physiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁴ Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
⁵ Department of Medical System Engineering &School of Mechatronics, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
⁶ Department of Neurosurgery, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
⁷ McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

PMID: 28135241
PMCID: PMC5378483
DOI: 10.1038/nn.4492

Abstract

Contributions of glial cells to neuroenergetics have been the focus of extensive debate. Here we provide positron emission tomography evidence that activation of astrocytic glutamate transport via the excitatory amino acid transporter GLT-1 triggers widespread but graded glucose uptake in the rodent brain. Our results highlight the need for a reevaluation of the interpretation of [¹⁸F]FDG positron emission tomography data, whereby astrocytes would be recognized as contributing to the [¹⁸F]FDG signal.

MeSH terms

Animals
Astrocytes / metabolism*
Biological Transport
Brain / blood supply
Brain / drug effects
Brain / metabolism
Ceftriaxone / pharmacology
Cells, Cultured
Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 1 / agonists
Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 1 / physiology*
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / metabolism*
Functional Neuroimaging
Glutamic Acid / metabolism*
Locomotion / drug effects
Male
Positron-Emission Tomography
Rats
Vibrissae / physiology

Substances

Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 1
Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
Glutamic Acid
Ceftriaxone

Grants and funding

115131-1/Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Canada