Abstract
More and more evidence shows how brain energy metabolism is the linkage between physiological and morphological synaptic plasticity and memory consolidation. Different types of memory are associated with differential inputs, each with specific inputs that are upstream diverse molecular cascades depending on the receptor activity. No matter how heterogeneous the response is, energy availability represents the lowest common denominator since all these mechanisms are energy consuming and the brain networks adapt their performance accordingly. Astrocytes exert a primary role in this sense by acting as an energy buffer; glycogen granules, a mechanism to store glucose, are redistributed at glance and conveyed to neurons via the Astrocyte–Neuron Lactate Shuttle (ANLS). Here, we review how different types of memory relate to the mechanisms of energy delivery in the brain.
Highlights
Brain Energy MetabolismThe brain represents only 2% of the total body mass, yet to ensure its proper function, it uses between 20 and 25% of the energy produced by the body
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These observations led to the first formalization of the Astrocyte– Neuron Lactate Shuttle (ANLS) model (Figure 1), which states that astrocytes respond to glutamate-mediated neuronal activity by enhancing their level of aerobic glycolysis [16]
Summary
The brain represents only 2% of the total body mass, yet to ensure its proper function, it uses between 20 and 25% of the energy produced by the body. Since no oxidative metabolism occurs, the glycogen stores deplete within two minutes [9,10] It plays a critical role in physiological brain functions such as synaptic activity and memory formation, two conditions requiring a high energy demand [3,11]. The metabolism of glucose via glycogen, known as glycogen shunt activity, has been demonstrated to operate in exercising muscle, as well as in the brain [18,19] This model establishes that glial glucose flux is divided between glycolysis and glycogenolysis and that the fraction following the glycogenolytic pathway will increase with neuronal activity. Another example is D-serine, which acts as an endogenous NMDA receptor and plays a role in the induction of long-term potentiation in hippocampal synapses [26]
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