Metformin Treatment Alters Memory Function in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: DiTacchio, Kacee A. | Heinemann, Stephen F. | Dziewczapolski, Gustavo^{; *}

Affiliations: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, La Jolla, CA, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Gustavo Dziewczapolski, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Tel.: +1 858 453 4100; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: Metabolic dysfunction exacerbates Alzheimer's disease (AD) incidence and progression. Here we report that activation of the AMPK pathway, a common target in the management of diabetes, results in gender-divergent cognitive effects in a murine model of the disease. Specifically, our results show that activation of AMPK increases memory dysfunction in males but is protective in females, suggesting that gender considerations may constitute an important factor in medical intervention of diabetes as well as AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, AMPK, metformin, type 2 diabetes mellitus

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-141332

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 43-48, 2015