This project focuses on links between circulating glucose metabolism and age-related processes occurring in the cells in the brain that support the neurons. These studies will test the idea that these support cells lose some of their ability to move glucose from the circulation to the neurons, which contributes to the cognitive problems associated with aging and further exaggerated in Alzheimer’s disease. Ultimately, it is anticipated that this study will help us understand changes that occur during aging that make the elderly more vulnerable to disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and perhaps even the mental deterioration that sometimes occurs in diabetes.