Interaction of motor neurone disease plasma with glucose transport.

Abnormal glucose metabolism has been implicated in motor neurone disease (MND) and this was studied by measuring the transport of non-metabolisable glucose analogue, 3-O-methyl-D-glucose in normal erythrocyte at 20 degrees C, pH 7.4, in the presence of plasma from normal controls and patients with MND. The glucose uptake was elevated by 34% in the presence of plasma from MND patients (n = 21) when compared with age matched controls (n = 28; p < 0.001). The uptake of glucose was not influenced by gender or any age dependent variations. The relationship of this effect to glucose under-utilisation in the CNS needs to be explored.