Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have uncovered the role astrocytes, a type of non-neuronal cells called glia, play in communication between neurons and processes linked to learning and memory. 

While astrocytes have long been known to provide energy to neurons, whether they also shape signaling between neurons has remained unclear — until now. 

Published in The Journal of Physiology, a new KAUST study shows that the same molecule involved in muscle metabolism, lactate, acts not only as a source of energy but also triggers a signaling pathway in neurons. 

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