Glucose, lactate, and shuttling of metabolites in vertebrate retinas

JB Hurley, KJ Lindsay, J Du - Journal of neuroscience research, 2015 - Wiley Online Library
JB Hurley, KJ Lindsay, J Du
Journal of neuroscience research, 2015Wiley Online Library
The vertebrate retina has specific functions and structures that give it a unique set of
constraints on the way in which it can produce and use metabolic energy. The retina's
response to illumination influences its energy requirements, and the retina's laminated
structure influences the extent to which neurons and glia can access metabolic fuels. There
are fundamental differences between energy metabolism in retina and that in brain. The
retina relies on aerobic glycolysis much more than the brain does, and morphological …
The vertebrate retina has specific functions and structures that give it a unique set of constraints on the way in which it can produce and use metabolic energy. The retina's response to illumination influences its energy requirements, and the retina's laminated structure influences the extent to which neurons and glia can access metabolic fuels. There are fundamental differences between energy metabolism in retina and that in brain. The retina relies on aerobic glycolysis much more than the brain does, and morphological differences between retina and brain limit the types of metabolic relationships that are possible between neurons and glia. This Mini‐Review summarizes the unique metabolic features of the retina with a focus on the role of lactate shuttling. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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