title: Lactate in the brain: an update on its relevance to brain energy, neurons, glia and panic disorder.
abstract: Lactate is considered an important metabolite in the human body, but there has been considerable debate about its roles in brain function. Research in recent years has suggested that lactate from astrocytes may be crucial for supporting axonal function, especially during times of high metabolic demands or hypoglycemia. The astrocyte-neuron lactate transfer shuttle system serves a protective function to ensure a supply of substrates for brain metabolism, and oligodendrocytes appear to also influence availability of lactate. There is increasing evidence for lactate acting as a signaling molecule in the brain to link metabolism, substrate availability, blood flow and neuronal activity. This review will attempt to connect evidence to the relationship lactate has to panic disorder (PD), which suggests that its transporters, receptors or metabolism warrant investigation as potential therapeutic targets in PD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Laurel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Riske
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Rejish K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Glen B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry (Neurochemical Research Unit, NRU), 12th Floor, Clinical Science Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G3, Canada.
authors.forename: Serdar M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dursun
keywords: fuel; glia; lactate; lactate dehydrogenase; monocarboxylate transporters; neurons; panic disorder; pyruvate