Topic: glycogen degradation

Age-related decline in brain glucose utilization might stem from noradrenergic system dysfunction, which governs brain metabolism and could play a role in age-related cognitive decline. Noradrenaline released from these neurons triggers intracellular Ca2+ and cAMP signals in astrocytes, facilitating glucose uptake, glycogen degradation, and aerobic glycolysis, producing lactate as an end-product. During heightened brain activity, lactate is transferred from astrocytes to neurons to serve as fuel. The extent to which noradrenergic regulation of brain cell metabolism is impaired in aged brains a