How doth the little busy bee: unexpected metabolism

Brain energy metabolism powers information processing and behavior, much as electricity powers a computer. However, a recent study in insects suggests that this relationship is more interesting, causally linking aggressive behavior to energetics. These findings may also shed new light on aerobic glycolysis, a long-standing riddle of human brain physiology.

[1]  S. Sternson Hypothalamic Survival Circuits: Blueprints for Purposive Behaviors , 2013, Neuron.

[2]  G. DeGrandi-Hoffman,et al.  The African honey bee: factors contributing to a successful biological invasion. , 2004, Annual review of entomology.

[3]  M H Buonocore,et al.  Elevated Brain Lactate Responses to Neural Activation in Panic Disorder: a Dynamic 1h-mrs Study , 2008 .

[4]  G. Robinson,et al.  Socially responsive effects of brain oxidative metabolism on aggression , 2014, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[5]  David J. Anderson,et al.  How Food Controls Aggression in Drosophila , 2014, PloS one.

[6]  L. Felipe Barros,et al.  Metabolic signaling by lactate in the brain , 2013, Trends in Neurosciences.

[7]  B. Weber,et al.  The Astrocyte: Powerhouse and Recycling Center. , 2015, Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology.

[8]  J. Paton,et al.  Lactate-mediated glia-neuronal signalling in the mammalian brain , 2014, Nature Communications.

[9]  Albert Gjedde,et al.  Lactate receptor sites link neurotransmission, neurovascular coupling, and brain energy metabolism. , 2014, Cerebral cortex.

[10]  Saurabh Sinha,et al.  Honey bee aggression supports a link between gene regulation and behavioral evolution , 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[11]  J. Puyal,et al.  Lactate Modulates the Activity of Primary Cortical Neurons through a Receptor-Mediated Pathway , 2013, PloS one.

[12]  Michael Hawrylycz,et al.  Aerobic glycolysis in the human brain is associated with development and neotenous gene expression. , 2014, Cell metabolism.

[13]  M. Mintun,et al.  Brain work and brain imaging. , 2006, Annual review of neuroscience.

[14]  Jee Hoon Roh,et al.  Neuronal activity regulates the regional vulnerability to amyloid-β deposition , 2011, Nature Neuroscience.