Leptin boosts cellular metabolism by activating AMPK and the sirtuins to reduce tau phosphorylation and β-amyloid in neurons.

ABSTRACT: Leptin is a pleiotropic hormone primarily secreted by adipocytes. A high density of functional Leptin receptors has been reported to be expressed in the hippocampus and other cortical regions of the brain, the physiological significance of which has not been explored extensively. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is marked by impaired brain metabolism with decreased glucose utilization in those regions which often precede pathological changes. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that plasma Leptin is protective against AD. Specifically, elderly with plasma Leptin levels in the lowest quartile were found to be four times more likely to develop AD than those in the highest quartile. We have previously reported that Leptin modulates AD pathological pathways in vitro through a mechanism involving th

SUBMITTER: Greco SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3196043 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature