Lactate levels in brain
 

In an article in science daily today, there is a study published about measuring Lactate acid levels in the brain. It appears that these increased levels show up before other age-related or disease- related symptoms.

"The research group used both prematurely and normally aging mice to investigate the relationship between damage to mitochondria -- the organelle responsible for energy production in the cell -- and changes in metabolism during the aging process. Previous studies have shown a link between mitochondrial dysfunction and age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer´s disease."

"......The researchers show that the damage to the mitochondria slowly increases with age in brains of mice and causes altered expression in certain genes that are responsible for the formation of lactate. They also show that brain lactate levels may increase in advance of other indices of aging, and can be detected using non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging techniques."

It sure sounds like a great and non- invasive way towards early detection of PD.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1102083646.htm

mitochondria implicated again !
 

this, kind of compliment recent threads on this forum !
cheers !
Imad

I've been eating a lot of homemade yogurt in the past year. This has been fermented using a starter culture of acidophilus. A result of the fermentation is that yogurt contains lactic acid [1].

A consequence of eating yogurt is that lactate levels in the blood increase:
"After ingestion of yogurt containing 1.06 mmol/kg body weight, D-lactic acid postprandial plasma D-lactate concentrations increased from 0.070 +/- 0.020 to a maximum of 0.200 +/- 0.010 mmol/l within 60 min." [2]

Lactate can get through the BBB:
"Specific, carrier-mediated transport systems facilitate transport of ... lactate".
"The concentration gradients for nutrients are generally in the direction from blood to brain." [3]

Exercise is another way to generate lactic acid in the body [4].

How do we react to Victorialou's reference?

Increased lactate levels in the brain prior to neurodegeneration does not necessarily mean that they cause the degeneration. They could be a response of the body to fight the cause of the degeneration.

Lactate: good or bad? Anyone got the answer?

References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactic_acid_fermentation
[2] "Postprandial plasma D-lactate concentrations after yogurt ingestion"
de Vrese M, Barth CA.
Z Ernahrungswiss. 1991 Jun;30(2):131-7.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1897274
[3] "The Blood-Brain Barrier in Health and Chronic Neurodegenerative Disorders"
Berislav V. Zlokovic
DOI 10.1016/j.neuron.2008.01.003
http://pdn.sciencedirect.com/science...00342-main.pdf
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactic_acid

John