Metabolic Brain Disorders: Review links information and energy metabolism to brain function

Metabolic brain disorders represent a significant health challenge, often stemming from dysregulation in the brain's complex metabolic processes. Traditional views often separate information processing from energy supply, yet the brain's ability to adapt, learn, and respond to its environment fundamentally relies on the efficient interplay of both. A critical gap exists in comprehensively integrating these two facets to understand the full spectrum of neurological and psychiatric conditions driven by metabolic dysfunction. This review aims to bridge that gap by synthesizing current knowledge on how information and energy metabolism are intertwined.

This comprehensive review synthesizes existing literature on metabolic brain disorders, focusing on the intricate interplay between "information metabolism" and "energy metabolism" within the brain. The authors outline how sensory information processing, memory formation, emotional valuation, and subsequent behavioral responses are fundamentally linked to the brain's energy dynamics, particularly aerobic and anaerobic glucose metabolism. The review highlights the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) as a crucial modulator of information flow between the thalamus and cortex, emphasizing its role in integrating these metabolic processes to support self-organizing and self-sustaining life functions.

The review establishes that life itself is a self-organizing process driven by energy transformation, with the brain as the primary regulator. It underscores that adaptive behavior, learning, and memory are deeply rooted in "information metabolism," which involves organizing and interpreting sensory data, assigning emotional values via neurotransmitters, and shaping responses. Crucially, the efficiency of the entire neuromuscular system, which executes these behaviors, is directly dependent on both aerobic and anaerobic glucose metabolism.

The brain's thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is identified as a key modulator, controlling information flow between the thalamus and cortex, thereby integrating sensory input with memory and emotional structures to activate executive systems for essential life behaviors. Dysregulation in either information or energy metabolism can lead to profound metabolic brain disorders, suggesting that these two metabolic systems are inextricably linked and interdependent for maintaining brain identity and structure.