AMPK-mediated regulation of neuronal metabolism and function in brain diseases

Abstract

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a serine/threonine kinase that functions as a key energy sensor in a wide variety of tissues. This kinase has been a major drug target for metabolic diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes) and cancers. For example, metformin (an activator of AMPK) is a first-line diabetes drug that protects against cancers. Abnormal regulation of AMPK has been implicated in several brain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and stroke. Given the emerging importance of neurodegenerative diseases in our aging societies, this review features the recent studies that have delineated the functions of AMPK in brain diseases and discusses their potential clinical implications or roles as drug targets in brain diseases.

Keywords:

• Alzheimer's disease
• AMPK
• amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• brain
• Huntington's disease
• metformin

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Science Council (NSC 100-2325-B001-003; NSC 101-2325-B-001-003; NSC 102-2325-B-001-003; and NSC 100-2320-B-001-0110MY3) and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica (103-Academia Sinica Investigation Award-06). We are grateful to Mr. Tsung-Hung Hung for his assistance in preparing the illustrations.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.