Neurons run on fat, 2026, Teo et al.

[SNT Gatchaman]

Neurons run on fat

Spoiler: Authors

Teo, Rui Qi; Fidelito, Gio; Watt, Matthew J; Dodd, Garron T

Neurons were long thought to depend primarily on glucose metabolism for ATP production. However, recent findings from three laboratories show neurons metabolise long-chain fatty acids as alternative fuel. Here, we highlight emerging evidence on the neutral lipid lipase DDHD2 and mechanisms enabling fatty acid mobilisation and oxidation in neurons. These advances reshape our understanding of neuronal bioenergetics and reveal an unexpected flexibility in how the brain can be fuelled.

Web | DOI | PDF | Nature npj Metabolic Health and Disease | Open Access

 

[Turtle]

Woken up by my glucose sensor alarm, too low, I was as sharp as a fiddle, isn't that serendipity.
Lipid droplets, long-chain fatty acids. triglycerides. carnitines (Germain), neurons, feels as if they write about ME/CFS problems, though tested on mice.
Can't wait for the specialists here to have a good look at this paper.

 

[SNT Gatchaman]

Quoting from a related 2025 thread:

If the findings hold up it means that we’ve been absolutely incorrect about the idea that the brain only uses glucose as a fuel source. It also means that measurements of brain metabolic activity using glucose tracing have only been looking at half the story.

 

[Mij]

Neurons can tap into fat for fuel

At a Glance

• Researchers found that neurons in the brain can use fat droplets as a source of energy.
• The new insights into brain metabolism have important implications for understanding brain health and suggest new ways to protect neurons

Your brain needs lots of energy to function. Without the fuel it needs, the brain is also prone to breaking down. While other energy-demanding parts of the body store energy in the form of lipid, or fat, droplets, the brain has long been thought to rely solely on sugar (glucose). One reason is that the healthy brain doesn’t have any visible fat stores.

Recently, this view has been called into question. One study found that loss of a single gene called DDHD2 leads to a complex subtype of hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a group of rare and progressive inherited disorders that cause weakness and stiffness of the legs. The subtype also includes intellectual disability and other problems in the central nervous system. It turns out DDHD2 encodes an enzyme in neurons that breaks down triglyceride lipids into fatty acids. When this enzyme doesn’t work properly, lipids build up in the cells.

Study