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The frequent comorbidity of diabetes and depressive disorders led a French research group to study in rodents the potential neurobiological and behavioral effects of the insulin-sensitizing, antidiabetic drug metformin.
A high-fat diet induced weight gain, fasting glycemia, glucose intolerance, and insulinemia. Metabolic changes were accompanied by elevated plasma levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and reduced responsiveness of serotonergic dorsal raphe (DR) neurons acting on the hippocampus, along with some behaviors thought to reflect animal models of depression and anxiety.
Metformin added to the high-fat diet improved all metabolic changes, including the increases in BCAAs, improved the responsiveness of DR neurons, and had anxi…