How muscle talks to brain: apelin protein mediates exercise-induced antidepressant effects - PubMed
2 hours ago
- #exercise
- #hippocampus
- #depression
- #apelin
- #neuroplasticity
- Physical exercise helps alleviate depressive symptoms and improves hippocampal plasticity through a muscle-brain connection.
- The protein apelin, produced in skeletal muscles, increases with voluntary running and is linked to reduced depression-like behaviors.
- Muscle-specific removal of apelin blocks the antidepressant effects of exercise, while increasing it mimics these benefits.
- Apelin interacts with its receptor APJ on hippocampal neurons, enhancing NMDA receptor function and neurogenesis.
- The signaling cascade involves casein kinase 2 phosphorylation of the GluN2B subunit, activating calpain-2 and improving synaptic plasticity.
- These findings point to apelin as a key mediator in the antidepressant effects of exercise, offering potential new treatments for depression.