Increased glucose utilization associated with inflammatory brain lesions of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

[14C]Deoxyglucose autoradiograms obtained from rats with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis revealed foci of intense glycolytic activity corresponding to inflamed regions. We suggest that well-known sequelae of the inflammatory response, increased capillary permeability leading to hemoconcentration and hemostasis, result in focal hypoxic stimulation of anaerobic glycolysis. This observation calls attention to ischemia as an important determinant of histopathological and clinical etiology of various inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system.