Cerebrosides are glycosphingolipids which are important components in animal muscle and nerve cell membranes.

Cerebrosides consist of a ceramide with a single sugar residue at the 1-hydroxyl moiety. The sugar residue can be either glucose or galactose; the two major types are therefore called glucocerebrosides and galactocerebrosides.

Types

 glucocerebrosides
 galactocerebrosides

Pathology

 Gaucher disease is a defect in the degradation of glucocerebrosides.

 Krabbe disease is a defect in the degradation of galactocerebrosides.

See also

 Lipids