Energy Metabolism, Adult Neurogenesis and their Possible Roles in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Brief Overview

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent human neurodegenerative disease. Disturbances of brain glucose uptake, glucose tolerance, glucose utilization and of the insulin/insulin receptor signaling cascade are thought to be key features of the pathophysiology of AD. Changes in energy homeostasis in the brain and in the periphery dramatically influence the proliferation of adult neural stem cells and neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Recent findings suggest that adult neurogenesis is altered in the hippocampus of AD patients and in various animal models of AD. Several factors associated with the pathogenesis of AD are also known to be involved in the regulation of adult neurogenesis. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these changes at different stages of AD could provide insights into its pathogenesis, contribute to identifying biomarkers of early AD, and supply fundamental knowledge that will allow novel therapeutic approaches to treating AD by intervening in adult neurogenesis. In this review we provide an overview of the connections between energy metabolism, adult neurogenesis and AD.