Science News Today
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Astronomy
  • Health and Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Earth Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Technology
Science News Today
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Astronomy
  • Health and Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Earth Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Technology
No Result
View All Result
Science News Today
No Result
View All Result
Home Health and Medicine

Your Brain Burns Fat When It’s Hungry for Thoughts

by Muhammad Tuhin
July 3, 2025
Neurons stained for lipid droplets. Credit: Ryan lab

Neurons stained for lipid droplets. Credit: Ryan lab

0
SHARES

For generations, the scientific consensus has been clear: the human brain, though it makes up only about 2% of our body weight, consumes roughly 20% of our energy—and it gets that energy almost exclusively from glucose. Sugar has long been considered the brain’s high-octane fuel, and for decades, textbooks have echoed the same message: the brain doesn’t burn fat.

You might also like

Your Brain Keeps Growing New Neurons Even in Old Age

This Pig Kidney Survived in a Human Body for 61 Days and Changed Everything

One Hormone Combo Raises Cancer Risk While Another May Lower It

But a new study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, published in Nature Metabolism, has just shattered that long-standing belief. Beneath the intricate lattice of neurons and electrical signals, a quieter energy system has been hiding in plain sight. And it runs on fat.

When Neurons Get Hungry

Inside your brain, billions of neurons are constantly firing, forming thoughts, memories, and sensations. This activity doesn’t come cheap—it demands a steady stream of energy. Until now, it was believed that when glucose levels dip, neurons simply suffer. But the new research reveals that when synapses—the tiny junctions where neurons exchange information—get especially busy, they can tap into an unexpected backup fuel supply: fat droplets.

Dr. Timothy A. Ryan, the study’s principal investigator and a professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, couldn’t hide his astonishment: “The process of being able to use the fat is controlled by the electrical activity of the neurons, and I was shocked by this finding. If the neuron is busy, it drives this consumption. If it’s at rest, the process isn’t happening.”

The DDHD2 Mystery

The research began with a genetic curiosity. Scientists were intrigued by a gene called DDHD2, which encodes an enzyme (a lipase) responsible for breaking down fat. Mutations in DDHD2 are linked to a rare neurological condition known as hereditary spastic paraplegia—a disease that causes progressive stiffness in the legs and cognitive deficits.

But in earlier animal studies, when this gene was blocked in mice, researchers found something unexpected: the mice’s brains became riddled with fat droplets—tiny bubbles of triglycerides, the same form of fat that stores energy in our bodies. It raised a provocative question: Was the brain hiding an untapped energy resource all along?

“To me,” said Dr. Ryan, “this was evidence that maybe the reason we claim the brain doesn’t burn fat is because we never see the fat stores.”

Fat to the Rescue

The team’s experiments, led by Dr. Mukesh Kumar, a postdoctoral associate in biochemistry, focused on understanding how these fat droplets behaved in the absence of DDHD2. In their absence, the droplets accumulated in synapses. But more importantly, when neurons were active and glucose was scarce, the brain seemed to adapt—breaking down these fat droplets into usable fuel.

Fatty acids liberated from triglycerides were shuttled to the mitochondria—the tiny power plants of the cell—where they were converted into ATP, the universal energy currency of life. “It makes sense,” said Dr. Kumar, “that fat may play a role as an energy source in the brain like it does in other metabolically demanding tissues, such as muscle.”

This process wasn’t passive. It was driven by the neuron’s own electrical activity. A busy synapse pulled energy from fat. A resting one did not. In essence, fat became a fuel switch that neurons could flip on when their need spiked.

The Torpor Test

To understand how crucial this fat-burning process might be, the team ran another dramatic experiment. They blocked an enzyme called CPT1, which is essential for transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria. With this metabolic bridge cut, the neurons could no longer use fat for energy.

The result was startling. The mice fell into a state of torpor—a deep, hibernation-like trance. Their body temperatures plunged. Their heartbeats slowed. The brain, deprived of both glucose and fat-derived energy, simply shut down into a kind of emergency stasis.

Schematic summary of the mechanism of DDHD2-dependent FA fueling of synaptic function to prevent a torpor-like state. Credit: Nature Metabolism (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-025-01321-x

“This response convinced us that there’s an ongoing need for the brain to use these lipid droplets,” said Dr. Ryan. The brain, it turns out, cannot rely on glucose alone—not when under stress, or in a low-glucose environment.

Implications for Aging and Disease

The findings may have profound implications for our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. Many brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, are marked by energy imbalances in neurons. Some studies have already hinted that fat droplets accumulate in neurons during the early stages of these conditions.

Could this be the brain’s desperate attempt to store backup fuel in the face of failing metabolism? Could manipulating this fat-burning pathway help maintain brain function when glucose falters?

“We don’t know where this research will go in terms of neurodegenerative conditions,” said Dr. Kumar. “But some evidence suggests that accumulation of fat droplets in the neurons may occur in Parkinson’s disease.”

Understanding how neurons manage their fuel—especially under conditions of metabolic stress—could open a new frontier in the treatment of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.

Glucose and Fat: A Delicate Dance

Perhaps the most fascinating part of this discovery is not that the brain can use fat—it’s that it seems to do so intelligently. Like an elite athlete switching gears mid-race, the brain appears to dynamically choose between glucose and fat depending on what’s available and how hard it’s working.

Dr. Ryan and his team now want to unravel how this choice is made. “We need to better understand the interplay between glucose and lipids in the brain,” he said. “By learning more about these molecular details, we hope to ultimately unlock explanations for neurodegeneration, which would give us opportunities for finding ways to protect the brain.”

This isn’t just a biochemical curiosity—it’s a revolution in how we think about the brain’s energy needs.

The Brain’s Hidden Reserve

What if the brain, long thought to be singularly sugar-hungry, has been harboring an energy reserve all along? What if deep in our synapses, ancient metabolic pathways—once written off as irrelevant—are still quietly at work, fueling our thoughts, our memories, our dreams?

This study doesn’t just revise a chapter of neuroscience. It opens a new one.

And in this new chapter, fat is no longer just a passive passenger. It’s a co-pilot, standing by in times of need, ready to keep the lights on in the most complex organ in the known universe.

Reference: Mukesh Kumar et al, Triglycerides are an important fuel reserve for synapse function in the brain, Nature Metabolism (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42255-025-01321-x

TweetShareSharePinShare

Recommended For You

Health and Medicine

Your Brain Keeps Growing New Neurons Even in Old Age

July 5, 2025
Health and Medicine

This Pig Kidney Survived in a Human Body for 61 Days and Changed Everything

July 4, 2025
Woman hand checking lumps on her breast for signs of breast cancer on white background. Healthcare concept. Cancer self check; healthy girl.
Health and Medicine

One Hormone Combo Raises Cancer Risk While Another May Lower It

July 4, 2025
Two-photon microscopy captures axonal segments in a living brain, enabling researchers to quantify structural changes in specialized areas under noninvasive low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). A zoomed-out survey of the brain area (A) shows complex networks of neurons, visible via fluorescent marker. Insets (B and C) show specialized axonal endings (termed "boutons") where synapses form. TB axon: "terminaux boutons" are short protrusions from the axon shaft typically connecting neurons in a local area. EPB axon: "en passant boutons" are small bead-like structures along axons typically connecting distal regions. Credit: B. Fulopova (Queen's University).
Health and Medicine

Magnetic Brain Pulses Awaken Lost Connections in Alzheimer’s

July 4, 2025
Health and Medicine

The Brain’s Sugar Secret Could Be the Key to Beating Alzheimer’s

July 4, 2025
Cytomegalovirus. Credit: CDC/Dr. Edwin P. Ewing, Jr. (PHIL #958), 1982.
Health and Medicine

The Secret Door That Lets a Silent Virus Harm Newborns

July 4, 2025
Health and Medicine

Your Gut Might Be Behind Your Binge Eating and Diet Struggles

July 4, 2025
Health and Medicine

What Are Memories Made Of If Even Neuroscientists Can’t Agree

July 4, 2025
Health and Medicine

The Weight Loss Medication That Might Stop Migraines

July 3, 2025
Next Post
MitoTRACER for lineage tracing of cell–cell transfer of mitochondria. Credit: Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09176-8

How Cancer Steals Power from Nerves to Spread Through the Body

Imagine a tool to measure how fast you're aging… while you're still reasonably healthy. From a single MRI of your head, researchers can measure your aging rate and predict your risk of dementia and disability years into the future, while you might still have a shot at improving your health. Credit: Ethan Whitman, Duke University

Your Brain Holds the Secret to How Long You’ll Stay Healthy

The Weight Loss Medication That Might Stop Migraines

Legal

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

© 2025 Science News Today. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Astronomy
  • Health and Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Earth Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Technology

© 2025 Science News Today. All rights reserved.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.