Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39725609›Full record

ReviewThe Korean journal of physiology & pharmacology : official journal of the Korean Physiological Society and the Korean Society of Pharmacology2025

Brain energy homeostasis: the evolution of the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle hypothesis.

Yihyang Kim, Solomon Ergando Dube, Chan Bae Park

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in The Korean journal of physiology & pharmacology : official journal of the Korean Physiological Society and the Korean Society of Pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Reframing Alzheimer's Disease Through a Redox-Metabolic Framework.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. A peripheral perspective on brain health: vascular and skeletal muscle contributions.American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology · 2026
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Depletion of BIS in astrocytes aggravates reactive gliosis following photothrombotic brain injury.The Korean journal of physiology & pharmacology : official journal of the Korean Physiological Society and the Korean Society of Pharmacology · 2026
    Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
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  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Yihyang KimDepartment of Physiology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Korea.
Solomon Ergando DubeDepartment of Physiology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Korea.
Chan Bae ParkDepartment of Physiology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Korea.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The brain's substantial metabolic requirements, consuming a substantial fraction of the body's total energy despite its relatively small mass, necessitate sophisticated metabolic mechanisms for efficient energy distribution and utilization. The astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS) hypothesis has emerged as a fundamental framework explaining the metabolic cooperation between astrocytes and neurons, whereby astrocyte-derived lactate serves as a crucial energy substrate for neurons. This review synthesizes current understanding of brain energy metabolism, focusing on the dual roles of lactate as both an energy substrate and a signaling molecule. We examine the molecular underpinnings of metabolic compartmentalization, particularly the differential expression of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isozymes between astrocytes and neurons, which facilitates directional lactate flux. Recent evidence has challenged aspects of the classical ANLS model, revealing greater metabolic flexibility in neurons than previously recognized, including substantial LDHA expression and direct glucose utilization capabilities. Our recent studies on LDHB-deficient neurons provide new insights into the compensatory mechanisms and limitations of neuronal lactate metabolism, suggesting a more nuanced understanding of the ANLS hypothesis. Furthermore, we discuss lactate's emerging role as a signaling molecule in synaptic plasticity, memory formation, and neuroprotection, particularly in ischemic conditions where elevated lactate levels correlate with enhanced neuronal survival through prostaglandin E2-mediated vasodilation. This comprehensive review integrates classical perspectives with recent advances, providing an updated framework for understanding brain lactate metabolism and its therapeutic implications in neurological disorders.

Indexed as

BrainEnergy metabolismLactic acidL-lactate dehydrogenaseNeuron

Identifiers

PMID39725609
PMCPMC11694005

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.