Lactylation is a recently discovered post-translational modification that occurs on both histone and non-histone proteins. Since the identification of lactylation modification sites on core histones by Zhang et al. in 2019, numerous researchers have shifted their focus towards exploring the relationship between lactylation and neurological disorders, aiming to regulate lactylation to improve the prognosis of central nervous system diseases. This article provides an overview of the associations and regulatory mechanisms between lactylation and various neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. By gaining a deeper insight into the mechanistic roles of lactylation in different neurological diseases, valuable references are provided for future research endeavors.