Insulin regulates key brain functions through multiple mechanisms involving different cell types and neural circuits. Insulin not only regulates functions of various brain cell types, including neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and tanycytes, but also modulates key brain pathways such as the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway and hypothalamic circuits. In addition, insulin modulates global brain processes such as synaptic transmission and brain metabolism. Dysregulated insulin signaling in the brain contributes to brain disorders such as depression and AD. Created with BioRender.com.
Abbreviations: AgRP/NPY, agouti-related neuropeptide/neuropeptide Y; AMPA, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; GABA, γ-aminobutyric acid; GSK-3β, glycogen synthase kinase 3β; NMDA, N-Methyl-d-aspartic acid; POMC, proopiomelanocortin.