THE METABOLISM OF GLUCOSE AND OTHER METABOLITES IN THE BRAIN OF PATIENTS WITH CEREBRAL ARTERIOSCLEROSIS AND OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS

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Abstract
Cerebral metabolism was studied in 4 groups of patients; a control group (12 subjects), a group with senile dementia (10 subjects), a group with obstructive lesions in the internal carotid artery on an arteriosclerotlc basis and symptoms of intermittent ischemia from the corresponding hemisphere (8 subjects), and a group of patients with longstanding diabetes mellitus complicated by diabetic polyneuro-pathy and diabetic retinopathy (10 subjects). Arterial and cerebral venous samples were collected for determination of O2, CO2, glucose, lactate, pyruvate, hematocrlt, glycerol, non-esterlflea fatty acids and trlglycerides. It was not possible to demonstrate qualitative alteration in the cerebral metabolism in the pathological groups: in all 4 groups the cerebral metabolism was completely dominated by glucose metabolism. No significant arterlo-venous differences of the sum (lactate + pyruvate) or of glycerol, non-esterified fatty acids and triglycerides were found. The findings reported by Gottstein et al. of a subnormal glucose/O2 ratio in the brain in patients with symptoms of cerebral arteriosclerosis and in patients with long-standing diabetes mellitus with diabetic complications could not be confirmed.

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