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Ghrelin and Neurodegenerative Disorders—a Review

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Abstract

Ghrelin, the endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a), is a gut-derived, orexigenic peptide hormone that primarily regulates growth hormone secretion, food intake, and energy homeostasis. With the wide expression of GHS-R1a in extra-hypothalamic regions, the physiological role of ghrelin is more extensive than solely its involvement in metabolic function. Ghrelin has been shown to be involved in numerous higher brain functions, such as memory, reward, mood, and sleep. Some of these functions are disrupted in neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Huntington’s disease (HD). This link between ghrelin and these neurodegenerative diseases is supported by numerous studies. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the most recent evidence of the novel neuromodulatory role of ghrelin in PD, AD, and HD. Moreover, the changes in circulating and/or central ghrelin levels that are associated with disease progression are also postulated to be a biomarker for clinical diagnosis and therapy.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by grants from the 973 Program (2011CB504102), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31200819, 81430024, 31471114), Ministry of Education of China (20123706120002), the Bureau of Science and Technology of Qingdao (14-2-4-72-jch), Taishan Scholars Construction Project, and Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University.

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    1. Department of Physiology, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis and Prevention of Neurological Disorders, Shandong Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders and State Key Disciplines: Physiology, Medical College of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China

      Limin Shi, Xixun Du, Hong Jiang & Junxia Xie

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    1. Limin Shi
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    Correspondence to Hong Jiang or Junxia Xie.

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    Limin Shi and Xixun Du contributed equally to this work.

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    Shi, L., Du, X., Jiang, H. et al. Ghrelin and Neurodegenerative Disorders—a Review. Mol Neurobiol 54, 1144–1155 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-016-9729-1

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