If neurons use glucose for oxidative stress defense, then where do get the energy? Astrocytes, close neighboring neurons and cerebral microvessels, metabolize glucose very quickly that catch the blood. To this end, dependent protein kinase 5'-AMP (AMPK) is responsible to keep active Pfkfb3 providing a robust glycolytic activity. Moreover, removal of glutamate from the synaptic cleft, astrocytes engaged to enable neurotransmission, is coupled, through a bioenergetic mechanism-a activation of glycolysis. (more...)