Skip to main content

Metabolic Substrate Brain

Meaning

Metabolic Substrate Brain refers to the clinical understanding that the central nervous system, despite its reliance on glucose, can and does utilize alternative energy sources, or substrates, to maintain its complex functions, particularly under altered metabolic states. These alternative substrates include ketone bodies, lactate, and specific amino acids, which become critical for brain function when glucose availability is limited or when glucose utilization is impaired, as seen in insulin resistance. Optimizing the brain’s substrate flexibility is key to neuro-metabolic resilience.