Hippocampal Glucose Transport and Oxidation in Response to Disrupted Perfusion in an Aging Rat Model of Heart Failure
Description: Vascular cognitive impairment (VcI) and vascular dementia (VaD) represent a spectrum of brain and cognitive deficits that stem from primary vascular pathologies. Many cardiovascular diseases display changes to brain blood flow and perfusion that dysregulate the structural integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and expression of cellular glucose transporters within brain vasculature. Given that glucose is the main substrate used by neurons for the production of ATP, impaired glucose availability has been posited to be an important mechanism by which VaD can promote neurodegeneration. However, whether glucose metabolism and neuronal glucose transporter expression are affected by cardiovascular disease-related changes in brain blood flow remains understudied. Thus, the goal of this one-year proposal is to address whether expression of neuronal glucose transporters and glucose metabolism are affected by alterations to carotid artery structure and blood flow during chronic hypertension and heart failure. To do this, we will first study the longitudinal changes in carotid artery integrity and carotid blood flow at three different time points in aged animals with chronic hypertension and heart failure and in aged control animals. We will then study whether aged animals with cardiovascular disease display changes in neuronal glucose transporters, as well as altered glucose metabolism when compared to control animals. All studies performed will include male and female animals, and possible sex differences will also be studied. This study may provide mechanistic data to better understand the intersection between cardiovascular and neurodegenerative pathologies.
Funder: American Heart Association
Amount: $32,550
Funding type: training
Funder scheme: Predoctoral Fellowship
Start date: 2023-01-01
End date: 2023-12-31
Investigators: Gabriel Pena, Gabriel Pena
Institution: University of Maryland-College Park
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: 23PRE1020728
OpenAlex ID: G6735550440