Editor's Choice in Neuroscience A. Suzuki et al., “Astrocyte-
neuron lactate transport is required for long-term memory
formation,” Cell , 144:810-23, 2011. Free F1000 evaluation
Astrocytes are star-shaped brain cells that physically support
and provide nourishment to neurons and may also be involved in
synaptic transmission. Now, for the first time in living
animals, they’ve been shown to be essential for long-term memory
formation. Through the work of Pierre Magistretti, of the
University of Lausanne-EPFL, and others, it has been known that
in response to certain neurotransmitters, astrocytes break down
glycogen and release lactate. Now Magistretti has collaborated
with Cristina Alberini at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to
show that glycogenolysis in astrocytes and transport of the
released lactate into neurons play a vital role in memory
formation. They found that rats trained to do a task had higher
levels of lactate in their hippocampus; blocking glycogenolysis
with a drug called DAB not only reduced