Topics and Speakers Darryl C. De Vivo, M.D.
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Synopsis
The human brain consumes fuel at a rate far exceeding any other organ. In precisely orchestrated series of steps, fuels cross the blood and enter the brain, where they are consumed. In this lecture, Professor Darryl De Vivo discusses the metabolism and energy requirements of the central nervous system. The metabolism of the brain changes across the lifespan. Indeed, even the prenatal and postnatal brains differ tremendously in how their brains process and consume fuels.
De Vivo contrasts these normal age-related changes with pathological conditions. Cerebral energy failure syndromes occur when a necessary mechanism of fuel transport, fuel availability, or fuel combustion goes awry. People with these disorders have difficulty regulating the glucose levels in the brain. Describing several cerebral energy failure syndromes, De Vivo shows both their molecular pathology and clinical symptomology and connects them to the broader principles of brain metabolism. De Vivo concludes by describing treatments for cerebral energy syndromes as well as proposing several avenues for research.
