Partial differential model of lactate neuro-energetics: analytic results and numerical simulations

Abstract

Interfaces play a key role on diseases development because they dictate the energy inflow of nutrients from the surrounding tissues. What is underestimated by existing mathematical models is the biological fact that cells are able to use different resources through nonlinear mechanisms. Among all nutrients, lactate appears to be a sensitive metabolic when talking about brain tumours or neurodegenerative diseases. Here we present a partial differential model to investigate the lactate exchanges between cells and the vascular network in the brain. By extending an existing kinetic model for lactate neuro-energetics, we first provide analytical proofs of the uniqueness and the derivation of precise bounds on the solutions of the problem including diffusion of lactate in a representative volume element comprising the interface between a capillary and cells. We further perform finite element simulations of the model in two test cases, discussing the relevant physical parameters governing the lactate dynamics.