Abstract
Summary
Signs of impairment of utiliztion of glucose in rat brains at 2 1/2 hr after administration of ethanol included increased glucose ratios for cerebrum/blood and hind-brain/blood in fed and fasted rats, decreased concentrations of lactate in cerebrum and hindbrain in fed rats, higher percentages of brain 14C in glucose at 15 min after injection of glucose-U-14C, and decreases in blood glucose equivalents in the combined glucose metabolites in cerebrum and hindbrain of fed and fasted rats.
Glucose uptake in cerebrum and hindbrain was lower in rats given ethanol by stomach tube (fed or fasted) than in control rats. Glucose uptake was normal in fed rats given ethanol intraperitoneally, but they had increased blood glucose concentrations. However, in these rats with the greater supply of blood glucose the greatest decreases in blood glucose equivalents of brain glucose metabolites were found. Significant decreases were found in aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, and γ-aminobutyrate (GABA).
Effects of fasting in control rats included decreased concentrations of glucose in blood, of lactate and GABA in both cerebrum and hindbrain, and of glycine in hindbrain.
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