Lactate Metabolism, Signaling, and Function in Brain Development, Synaptic Plasticity, Angiogenesis, and Neurodegenerative Diseases.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic models and preclinical hypotheses without primary clinical data.
PubMed 37686202 · doi:10.3390/ijms241713398
What was done
This narrative review summarizes literature on brain lactate metabolism and signaling, focusing on the astrocyte-neuron lactate-shuttle hypothesis and the roles of lactate in central nervous system development, synaptic plasticity, angiogenesis, and neurodegenerative diseases.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical findings or statistical measures. It describes qualitative models indicating that lactate, converted from pyruvate by lactate dehydrogenase-5 in astrocytes, acts as an energetic substrate and signaling factor metabolized by neurons rather than merely an inert byproduct of glycolysis.
Why it matters
It outlines the shift in understanding lactate from a metabolic waste product to an active fuel and signaling mediator supporting neurovascular function and neural plasticity.
Limits
As a narrative review, it presents no original experimental data, quantitative effect estimates, or systematic evaluation of the underlying study quality. The abstract provides no specific methodological details or human clinical findings.
Cited by
- supports Under normal physiology, astrocytes metabolize glucose and shuttle lactate to neurons, which convert lactate into pyruvate as an energy source.