THE METABOLISM OF NORMAL BRAIN AND HUMAN GLIOMAS IN RELATION TO CELL TYPE AND DENSITY

Abstract

Per unit weight, cerebral and cerebellar cortex respire much more actively than corpus callosum. The rate per cell nucleus is highest in cerebral cortex, lower in corpus callosum, and still lower in cerebellar cortex. The O2 uptake rates of the brain tumors studied, with the exception of an oligo-dendroglioma, were about the same as that of white matter on the weight basis but lower than that of cerebral cortex or white matter on the cell basis. In agreement with previous work, an oligodendroglioma respired much more actively than the other tumors. The rates of glycolysis of the brain tumors per unit weight were low but, relative to their respiration rate, glycolysis was higher than in normal gray or white matter. Consideration of the figures obtained leads to the following tentative conclusions: Glial cells of corpus callosum respire more actively than the neurons of the cerebellar cortex. Neurons of the cerebral cortex respire on the average much more actively than the cerebellar cortex or glial cells. Considerably more than 70% of the O2 uptake of cerebral cortex is due to neurons. The O2 uptake rates of normal oligodendroglia and estrocytes are probably about the same as the rates found per nucleus in an oligodendroglioma and in astrocytomas; oligodendroglia respire much more actively than astrocytes.