Figure 6.
Simplified model for the interpretation of our findings. In sobriety, glia and neurons predominantly rely on glucose as energy substrate for metabolism at rest and during stimulation, both through aerobic glycolysis and through oxidative phosphorylation. During alcohol intoxication (acute alcohol), when acetate levels in plasma increase, glial cells increase their reliance on acetate metabolism as energy source to sustain resting activity. In HDs, the reliance of glial cells on acetate to sustain resting activity is enhanced and persists beyond intoxication, which could contribute to their low resting brain glucose metabolic rates during sobriety but also their larger decrements in brain glucose metabolism during intoxication.