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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Single Synapse Indicators of Glutamate Release and Uptake in Acute Brain Slices from Normal and Huntington Mice

Single Synapse Indicators of Glutamate Release and Uptake in Acute Brain Slices from Normal and Huntington Mice

Published on: March 11, 2020

Dynamic activation model for a glutamatergic neurovascular unit.

Daniela Calvetti¹, Erkki Somersalo

¹Case Western Reserve University, Department of Mathematics and Cognitive Science, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 44106 OH, USA.

Journal of Theoretical Biology

|December 24, 2010

Summary

This study models brain energy metabolism using dynamic simulations and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) analysis to estimate kinetic parameters. The model reveals complex lactate exchange between neurons and astrocytes, impacting brain energy dynamics.

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Methodology for Biomimetic Chemical Neuromodulation of Rat Retinas with the Neurotransmitter Glutamate In Vitro

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Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Single Synapse Indicators of Glutamate Release and Uptake in Acute Brain Slices from Normal and Huntington Mice

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Published on: March 11, 2020

Combined In Vivo Anatomical and Functional Tracing of Ventral Tegmental Area Glutamate Terminals in the Hippocampus

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Published on: September 9, 2020

Methodology for Biomimetic Chemical Neuromodulation of Rat Retinas with the Neurotransmitter Glutamate In Vitro

Methodology for Biomimetic Chemical Neuromodulation of Rat Retinas with the Neurotransmitter Glutamate In Vitro

Published on: December 19, 2017

Area of Science:

Computational neuroscience
Systems biology
Biophysics

Background:

Brain energy metabolism is crucial for neuronal function.
Understanding neuronal activation and its energetic demands is key.
BOLD fMRI signals are linked to underlying metabolic processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a dynamic, spatially lumped model of brain energy metabolism.
To estimate kinetic model parameters using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) flux balance analysis.
To propagate steady-state uncertainties into dynamic model predictions.

Main Methods:

A five-compartment kinetic model with Michaelis-Menten kinetics was employed.
Neuronal activation effects on blood flow and neurotransmitter transport were incorporated.
The balloon model for BOLD fMRI and feedback mechanisms for synaptic glutamate and ATP hydrolysis were used.

Main Results:

Stoichiometry alone is insufficient for determining glucose partitioning between neurons and astrocytes.
Lactate exchange between neurons and astrocytes is supported, though direction and rate show high uncertainty.
Astrocyte production and efflux of lactate is suggested, with neurons potentially switching lactate usage.

Conclusions:

The model provides insights into the dynamic interplay of neuronal activity, metabolism, and BOLD signals.
Astrocyte ATP hydrolysis exceeds neurotransmitter cycling needs.
The model highlights the complexity and uncertainties in neuron-astrocyte metabolic coupling.