Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2015, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (1): 7-9.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.150637

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Fat cell-secreted adiponectin mediates physical exercise-induced hippocampal neurogenesis: an alternative anti-depressive treatment?

Suk Yu Yau 1, 2, #, Ang Li 1, 3, 4, #, Aimin Xu 4, 5, 6, 7, *, Kwok-fai So 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, *   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
    2 Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, BC, Canada
    3 Department of Anatomy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
    4 Department of Medicine,  The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
    5 Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
    6 Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Ageing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
    7 State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
    8 Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
    9 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
    10 Guangdong Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • Received:2014-11-25 Online:2015-01-15 Published:2015-01-15
  • Contact: Kwok-fai So, Ph.D., hrmaskf@hku.hk.,Aimin Xu, Ph.D., amxu@hku.hk.
  • Supported by:

    The work is supported by Hong Kong Health and Medical Research Fund and by funds of Leading Talents of Guangdong (2013), Programme of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (B14036), and Project of International, as well as Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan Science and Technology Cooperation Innovation Platform in Universities in Guangdong Province, China (2013gjhz0002). Support was also provided through grants to Jinan University Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Cooperation and Innovation Center for Tissue Regeneration and Repair, and to State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Hong Kong SAR, China.

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Abstract:

Psychological depression is drawing accumulating attention nowadays, due to the skyrocketing incidence worldwide and the enormous burdens it incurs. Physical exercise has been long recognized for its therapeutic effects on depressive disorders, although knowledge of the underlying mechanisms remains limited. Suppressed hippocampal neurogenesis in adult brains has been regarded, at least partly, contributive to depression, whereas physical exercise that restores neurogenesis accordingly exerts the anti-depressive action. Several recent publications have suggested the potential role of adiponectin, a protein hormone secreted by peripheral mature adipocytes, in mediating physical exercise-triggered enhancement of hippocampal neurogenesis and alleviation of depression. Here, we briefly review these novel findings and discuss the possibility of counteracting depression by modulating adiponectin signaling in the hippocampus with interventions including physical exercise and administration of pharmacological agents.

Key words: hippocampus, adult neurogenesis, physical exercise, voluntary wheel running, depression, neural progenitor cell, adipocyte, adiponectin, adiponectin receptor, AMP-activated protein kinase