Some aspects on amino acid metabolism in relation to glucose and ketone bodies in brain cortex slices of the rat.

Glucose is the major fuel of the adult brain under normal conditions. The most abundant free amino acids of the brain are: Glutamate, taurine N-acetylaspartate, glutamine, aspartate and 4-aminobutyrate. Deprivation of glucose from the incubation medium of brain cortex slices decreases mainly glutamate and glutamine content.