ausblenden:
Schlagwörter:
Leptin, Neuroendocrine axes, Neuropsychiatric aspects
Zusammenfassung:
Leptin, a peptide hormone secreted by adipocytes, plays a central role
in controlling appetite and weight in both rodents and humans. Basic
science and clinical research suggest that this hormone not only affects
the regulation of the neuroendocrine axes, but also exerts effects on
the central nervous system with subsequent alterations in psychological
functions.
For instance, leptin suppresses cortisol secretion during stress-related
activation of the adrenal axis. As psychiatric disorders like depression
are associated with hypercortisolism, leptin is proposed to exert
anti-depressant-like effects due to its inhibition of chronically
overactive hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis function. Moreover, leptin
status of depressed patients could serve as a prognostic marker for
therapy response.
Besides its influence on neuroendocrine pathways leptin seems to have
direct central effects on brain development and neuroplasticity. Low
leptin levels have been shown to be associated with increased risk of
developing dementia, supporting the idea of a pro-cognitive effect of
leptin. These areas may have direct clinical implications and deserve to
be studied further in the future. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights
reserved.
