Topological and chronological features of the impairment of glucose metabolism induced by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) in rat brain slices

1-Methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ( MPP+) was added directly to fresh rat brain slices and the dynamic changes in the cerebral glucose metabolic rate ( CMRglc) were serially and two-dimensionally measured with [ F-18] 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose as a tracer. MPP+ dose-dependently increased CMRglc, reflecting enhanced glycolysis compensating for the decrease in aerobic metabolism. While the CMRglc enhancement induced by MPP+ (< 10 mu M) was restricted to the striatum, MPP+ ( >= 10 mM) induced a significant CMRglc enhancement in all brain regions. MPP+ at high concentration ( 1mM) eventually initiated rapid metabolic collapse, with failure to sustain anaerobic glycolysis.