Yes fatty acids definitely cross the blood brain barrier and enter into brain cells. However, the brain barely use this for energy and it's not known why.
as far as i know and acc to kaplan, FA do not cross the BBB and that is the reason they are not utilised by the brain..its only in prolonged states of fasting that the brain gains the capability to use ketone bodies and even in that state it only provides two third of the energy requirement
Initial studies stated that fatty acids could not enter the brain.
Recent studies propose that the blood brain barrier has mechanisms for selective uptake of certain types of fatty acids, e.g. essential fatty acids. These mechanisms have not been yet clearly elucidated. For example, fatty acid transporters proteins, monocarboxylic acid transporters and certain lipoproteins receptors have been described in the endothelial cells of the BBB. Other investigators propose that FA can readably cross the BBB by using a reversible flip-flop mechanism of simple diffusion. The function and the pathways the brain uses for utilization of fatty acids are also not well understood.
Also, future research areas have been identified and clarified by the second International Workshop on "Brain Uptake and Utilization of Fatty Acids, Lipids and Lipoproteins: Application to Neurological Disorders". We should expect future discoveries on these matters.
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