Blood and whole brain14C and32P activities were determined in hepatectomized rats one, two, five and ten minutes after intravenous (I.V.) injection of14C-labeled L-lactate or D-lactate and32P-labeled rat red blood cells. Whole brain homogenate14C was corrected for blood14C and chemically partitioned into14C-lactate,14CO2and other14C compounds. In controls, lactate was replaced with14C-D-glucose and125l-antipyrine. At one minute postinjection, whole brain14C expressed as percent of total injected14C activity and as percent of the antipyrine value were: antipyrine 1.78% (100%); D-glucose 1.45% (81%); L-lactate 0.36% (20%); and D-lactate 0.13% (7%). One minute after L-lactate injection, brain14C was 74% lactate, 5% CO2and 21% other compounds. Preloading rats with cold racemic Na-lactate reduced L-lactate uptake to 0.14% of the injectate (8% of antipyrine), and reduced D-Iactate uptake to 0.09% (= 5% of antipyrine). At two, five and ten minutes, brain contained more14C with larger fractions metabolized to CO2and other compounds from both L-lactate and D-lactate. The blood-brain barrier appears to contain a saturable lactate carrier exhibiting threefold L-stereospecificity to D-stereospecificity, but resulting in far less net transport than the comparable glucose carrier. Lactate transport may be limited by the scarcity of neutral lactic acid at normal blood pH.