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Presence
Current · Arkansas
Last published
2026
Sources
OpenAlex · ORCID
Refreshed
2026-10-05
Gerald A. Dienel
High Impact
UAMS Contingent Worker
Also affiliated: University of Copenhagen (2026); National Institutes of Health (1986–1999); Harvard University (1977–1981); Cancer Research Institute (1978); University of New Mexico (2016–2025); New York Medical College (2005); Cornell University (1980–1986); University of Arkansas Medical Center (2003–2004); Burke Rehabilitation Hospital (1980–1986); University of Rochester Medicine (2005); United States Public Health Service (1987–1990); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (1995); National Institute of Mental Health (1985–2015); University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (2025); University of Rochester (2005); Columbia University (2005); Rockefeller University (2005)
Neurology, College of Medicine
49 h-index
152 pubs
10,938 cited
Research Areas
Biomedical Subjects
Biography and Research Information
OverviewAI-generated summary
Gerald A. Dienel's research focuses on the metabolism of the brain, particularly the roles of glucose and lactate in both normal function and pathological conditions. He has investigated the integration of brain energetics with cognitive function, exploring how energy metabolism in astrocytes, including their rates of oxidative metabolism and dependence on glycolysis and glycogenolysis, influences neural activity. His work has also delved into the controversies surrounding brain lactate metabolism and its relationship with glucose utilization during periods of heightened brain activation.
Dienel has also conducted research on the effects of ischemia on the brain, including the regional accumulation of calcium in postischemic rat brains and regional protein synthesis following acute hemispheric ischemia. His research group leads studies investigating energy metabolism in astrocytes and neurons, with a particular emphasis on the physiological and pathological roles of glucose in brain function. His scholarship metrics include an h-index of 48, with over 153 publications and 10,913 citations, designating him as a highly cited researcher.
Metrics
- h-index: 49
- Publications: 152
- Citations: 10,938
Positions
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UAMS Contingent Worker publications 1996–2026University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Neurology, College of Medicine Institutional directory
Selected Publications
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Anesthesia, perimortem conditions, and brain harvest method govern the measured metabolome: analysis of substandard samples generates flawed metabolite levels (2026)
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Reply to Comment by Quistorff: ATP is not consumed solely by hydrolytic reactions (2025)
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Revisiting phenylketonuria: Do high brain glycine levels caused by chronic hyperphenylalanemia contribute to brain dysfunction by modulating D-serine levels and NMDA receptor activity? (2025)
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Comment on the Editorial “Embracing the Modern Biochemistry of Brain Metabolism” (2025)
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A Bird's‐Eye View of Glycolytic Upregulation in Activated Brain: The Major Fate of Lactate Is Release From Activated Tissue, Not Shuttling to Nearby Neurons (2025)
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A budget for brain metabolic water production by glucose catabolism during rest, rises in activity and sleep (2025)
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Reduced removal of waste products from energy metabolism takes center stage in human brain aging (2025)
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Setting standards for brain collection procedures in metabolomic studies (2025)
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Does hyperphenylalaninemia induce brain glucose hypometabolism? Cerebral spinal fluid findings in treated adult phenylketonuric patients (2024)
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Does Hyperphenylalaninemia Induce Brain Glucose Hypometabolism? Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) Findings in Treated Adult Phenylketonuric (PKU) Patients (2024)
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Brain energy metabolism: A roadmap for future research (2024)
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A functional account of stimulation-based aerobic glycolysis and its role in interpreting BOLD signal intensity increases in neuroimaging experiments (2023)
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Neurovascular coupling is optimized to compensate for the increase in proton production from nonoxidative glycolysis and glycogenolysis during brain activation and maintain homeostasis of pH, pCO2, and pO2 (2023)
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A tribute to Leif Hertz: The historical context of his pioneering studies of the roles of astrocytes in brain energy metabolism, neurotransmission, cognitive functions, and pharmacology identifies important, unresolved topics for future studies (2023)
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In vivo calibration of genetically encoded metabolite biosensors must account for metabolite metabolism during calibration and cellular volume (2023)
Grants & Funding
As listed on this researcher's institutional profile.
- Endoplasmic reticulum stress in diabetic brain NIH Principal Investigator
- Neuroscience Research Center Core Facility at UAMS NIH Co-Investigator
- Functional Metabolism in Working Brain NIH Principal Investigator
- Astrocyte metabolite trafficking and brain imaging in Alzheimer model mice Alzheimer's Association Principal Investigator
- Glial Biology Gordon Research Conference NIH Co-Principal Investigator
- Functional activity in glia NIH Principal Investigator
- FUNCTIONAL METABOLIC ACTIVITY IN GLIA IN VIVO NIH Principal Investigator
- Functional Metabolism in Working Brain NIH/Nat. Inst. of Neurological Disorders & Stroke Principal Investigator
Collaboration Network
Top Collaborators
Nancy F. Cruz
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (US)
37 shared publications
- High Glycogen Levels in Brains of Rats with Minimal Environmental Stimuli: Implications for Metabolic Contributions of Working Astrocytes
- Astrocytes are poised for lactate trafficking and release from activated brain and for supply of glucose to neurons
- Nutrition during brain activation: does cell-to-cell lactate shuttling contribute significantly to sweet and sour food for thought?
- Aerobic glycolysis during brain activation: adrenergic regulation and influence of norepinephrine on astrocytic metabolism
- A glycogen phosphorylase inhibitor selectively enhances local rates of glucose utilization in brain during sensory stimulation of conscious rats: implications for glycogen turnover
Showing 5 of 37 shared publications
Douglas L. Rothman
Yale University (US)
15 shared publications
- Brain energy metabolism: A roadmap for future research
- Reevaluation of Astrocyte-Neuron Energy Metabolism with Astrocyte Volume Fraction Correction: Impact on Cellular Glucose Oxidation Rates, Glutamate–Glutamine Cycle Energetics, Glycogen Levels and Utilization Rates vs. Exercising Muscle, and Na+/K+ Pumping Rates
- Neurovascular coupling is optimized to compensate for the increase in proton production from nonoxidative glycolysis and glycogenolysis during brain activation and maintain homeostasis of pH, pCO2, and pO2
- Glycogenolysis in Cerebral Cortex During Sensory Stimulation, Acute Hypoglycemia, and Exercise: Impact on Astrocytic Energetics, Aerobic Glycolysis, and Astrocyte-Neuron Interactions
- Microdialysate concentration changes do not provide sufficient information to evaluate metabolic effects of lactate supplementation in brain-injured patients
Showing 5 of 15 shared publications
Kelly K. Ball
14 shared publications
In database
- Astrocytes are poised for lactate trafficking and release from activated brain and for supply of glucose to neurons
- A glycogen phosphorylase inhibitor selectively enhances local rates of glucose utilization in brain during sensory stimulation of conscious rats: implications for glycogen turnover
- Hyperglycaemia and Diabetes Impair Gap Junctional Communication among Astrocytes
- Trafficking of Glucose, Lactate, and Amyloid-β from the Inferior Colliculus through Perivascular Routes
- Functional imaging of focal brain activation in conscious rats: Impact of [14C]glucose metabolite spreading and release
Showing 5 of 14 shared publications
Leif Hertz
China Medical University (CN)
8 shared publications
- Energy Metabolism in Astrocytes: High Rate of Oxidative Metabolism and Spatiotemporal Dependence on Glycolysis/Glycogenolysis
- Glucose and lactate metabolism during brain activation
- Lactate transport and transporters: General principles and functional roles in brain cells
- Energy metabolism in the brain
- Astrocytic contributions to bioenergetics of cerebral ischemia
Showing 5 of 8 shared publications
Gautam K. Gandhi
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (US)
5 shared publications
- Astrocytes are poised for lactate trafficking and release from activated brain and for supply of glucose to neurons
- Hyperglycaemia and Diabetes Impair Gap Junctional Communication among Astrocytes
- Selective astrocytic gap junctional trafficking of molecules involved in the glycolytic pathway: impact on cellular brain imaging
- Astrocytic connexin distributions and rapid, extensive dye transfer via gap junctions in the inferior colliculus: Implications for [14C]glucose metabolite trafficking
- Reduced gap junctional communication among astrocytes in experimental diabetes: Contributions of altered connexin protein levels and oxidative–nitrosative modifications
Mary C. McKenna
University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
4 shared publications
- Brain energy metabolism: A roadmap for future research
- A dogma‐breaking concept: glutamate oxidation in astrocytes is the source of lactate during aerobic glycolysis in resting subjects
- A tribute to Leif Hertz: The historical context of his pioneering studies of the roles of astrocytes in brain energy metabolism, neurotransmission, cognitive functions, and pharmacology identifies important, unresolved topics for future studies
- Preface
Kevin L. Behar
Yale University (US)
4 shared publications
- Neurovascular coupling is optimized to compensate for the increase in proton production from nonoxidative glycolysis and glycogenolysis during brain activation and maintain homeostasis of pH, pCO2, and pO2
- Mechanistic stoichiometric relationship between the rates of neurotransmission and neuronal glucose oxidation: Reevaluation of and alternatives to the pseudo‐malate‐aspartate shuttle model
- Cellular Origin of [ 18 F]FDG-PET Imaging Signals During Ceftriaxone-Stimulated Glutamate Uptake: Astrocytes and Neurons
- Reduced removal of waste products from energy metabolism takes center stage in human brain aging
Silvia Mangia
University of Minnesota (US)
4 shared publications
- Neurovascular coupling is optimized to compensate for the increase in proton production from nonoxidative glycolysis and glycogenolysis during brain activation and maintain homeostasis of pH, pCO2, and pO2
- A Bird's‐Eye View of Glycolytic Upregulation in Activated Brain: The Major Fate of Lactate Is Release From Activated Tissue, Not Shuttling to Nearby Neurons
- Comment on the Editorial “Embracing the Modern Biochemistry of Brain Metabolism”
- Reduced removal of waste products from energy metabolism takes center stage in human brain aging
Murat Gökden
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
3 shared publications
In database
- CD117 expression in glial tumors
- Behavioral training increases local astrocytic metabolic activity but does not alter outcome of mild transient ischemia
- Effect of reactive cell density on net [2-14C]acetate uptake into rat brain: labeling of clusters containing GFAP+- and lectin+-immunoreactive cells
David Popp
3 shared publications
- Preferential labeling of glial and meningial brain tumors with [2-(14)C]acetate.
- Behavioral training increases local astrocytic metabolic activity but does not alter outcome of mild transient ischemia
- Enhanced Acetate and Glucose Utilization during Graded Photic Stimulation: Neuronal‐Glial Interactions in Vivo
Helene Benveniste
Yale University (US)
3 shared publications
- Neurovascular coupling is optimized to compensate for the increase in proton production from nonoxidative glycolysis and glycogenolysis during brain activation and maintain homeostasis of pH, pCO2, and pO2
- Trajectories of Brain Lactate and Re-visited Oxygen-Glucose Index Calculations Do Not Support Elevated Non-oxidative Metabolism of Glucose Across Childhood
- Reduced removal of waste products from energy metabolism takes center stage in human brain aging
Fahmeed Hyder
Yale University (US)
3 shared publications
- Neurovascular coupling is optimized to compensate for the increase in proton production from nonoxidative glycolysis and glycogenolysis during brain activation and maintain homeostasis of pH, pCO2, and pO2
- Trajectories of Brain Lactate and Re-visited Oxygen-Glucose Index Calculations Do Not Support Elevated Non-oxidative Metabolism of Glucose Across Childhood
- Reduced removal of waste products from energy metabolism takes center stage in human brain aging
Karin Borges
The University of Queensland (AU)
3 shared publications
- Brain energy metabolism: A roadmap for future research
- Potential new roles for glycogen in epilepsy
- Brain glycogen content is increased in the acute and interictal chronic stages of the mouse pilocarpine model of epilepsy
Liang Peng
China Medical University (CN)
2 shared publications
- Energy Metabolism in Astrocytes: High Rate of Oxidative Metabolism and Spatiotemporal Dependence on Glycolysis/Glycogenolysis
- Ion, transmitter and drug effects on energy metabolism in astrocytes
Kenian Liu
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (US)
2 shared publications
- Local uptake of 14C‐labeled acetate and butyrate in rat brain in vivo during spreading cortical depression
- Enhanced Acetate and Glucose Utilization during Graded Photic Stimulation: Neuronal‐Glial Interactions in Vivo
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