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The brain can profoundly influence metabolic and inflammatory diseases of other organs. The latest example: A multi-institutional team injected a molecule, fibroblast growth factor–1 (FGF1), into the cerebral ventricles of a mouse model of type 2 diabetes, with remarkable results. FGF1 affects hypothalamic neurons that control metabolic rate and appetite.
Based on past research, the researchers expected to see a transient lowering of blood glucose. Instead, glucose levels normalized during the next 7 days and remained normal for the next 17 weeks (when the study was terminated). The same durable response was seen in three other mouse and rat models of type 2 diabetes. None of the animals developed hypoglycemia, and no other complications wer…