Revisiting How the Brain Senses Glucose--And Why (Cell Metabolism)

Bentsen and colleagues present a model for understanding how information regarding the circulating glucose level is conveyed to glucoregulatory neurocircuits in the brain. While many hypothalamic neurons are glucose-sensitive and have been previously proposed to provide this information, they are exposed only to glucose concentrations behind the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which are not closely tied to the plasma level. Hence, input to the brain regarding circulating glucose is likely transmitted by glucose-sensing neurons situated outside the BBB.