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Journal Article Ppublish 23 citations

PubMed: 34023358 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2021.05.007

Metformin reduces neuroinflammation and improves cognitive functions after traumatic brain injury.

Neurosci Res 172:99-109

Authors: Victoria L DiBona, Mihir K Shah, Kayla J Krause, Wenxin Zhu, Mikayla M Voglewede, Dana M Smith, David P Crockett, Huaye Zhang

Affiliations

  • Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
  • Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.

Abstract

Within the brain, traumatic brain injury (TBI) alters synaptic plasticity and increases neuroinflammation and neuronal death. Yet, there lacks effective TBI treatments providing pleiotropic beneficial effects on these diverse cellular processes necessary for functional recovery. Here, we show the diabetes drug, metformin, significantly improves cognitive functions after controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury in mice, showing improved spatial learning and nest building. Furthermore, injured animals treated with metformin exhibit increased ramification of microglia processes, indicating reduced neuroinflammation. Finally, metformin treatment in vitro increased neuronal activation of partitioning defective 1 (Par1), a family of Ser/Thr kinases playing a key role in synaptic plasticity and neuroinflammation. These results suggest metformin is a promising therapeutic agent for targeting multiple cellular processes necessary for functional TBI recovery.

MeSH

Therapeutics, Neurology, Cognition, Metformin, Brain Injuries, Traumatic

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