Abstract:
The fact that the body transforms the senses, sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste, from abstract ideas into memory by the tangible movement of metabolites such as glucose and lactate remains a sort of miracle and a mystery. However, scientists and researchers are quickly beginning to discover the metabolic pathway used to store memories and even recollect them. Thus far, it has been proven that glucose, as in many other pathways, is a large and necessary component. The processing of senses into memories also largely requires lactate, and currently this is the metabolite receiving focus by the scientific community. The lactate necessary for memory processing is found in astrocytes and transported to neurons by way of a shuttle system. Because of its large size MCT] and MCT2 (monocarboxylate transporters) are needed to move the lactate in and out of the astrocyte/neuron. This project focuses on a method to demonstrate that the MCT] and MCT2 proteins can be detected in brain tissue and then compare the amounts of these proteins in different mouse types and after varying mental/physical exercises.
