title: Hypothalamic AMPK: a canonical regulator of whole-body energy balance.
abstract: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has a major role in the modulation of energy balance. AMPK is activated in conditions of low energy, increasing energy production and reducing energy consumption. The AMPK pathway is a canonical route regulating energy homeostasis by integrating peripheral signals, such as hormones and metabolites, with neuronal networks. Current evidence has implicated AMPK in the hypothalamus and hindbrain with feeding, brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and browning of white adipose tissue, through modulation of the sympathetic nervous system, as well as glucose homeostasis. Interestingly, several potential antiobesity and/or antidiabetic agents, some of which are currently in clinical use such as metformin and liraglutide, exert some of their actions by acting on AMPK. Furthermore, the orexigenic and weight-gain effects of commonly used antipsychotic drugs are also mediated by hypothalamic AMPK. Overall, this evidence suggests that hypothalamic AMPK signalling is an interesting target for drug development, but is this approach feasible? In this Review we discuss the current understanding of hypothalamic AMPK and its role in the central regulation of energy balance and metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain.|CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain.|CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain.
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nogueiras
authors.affiliation: CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain.|Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Córdoba; Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica (IMIBIC)/Hospital Reina Sofía, 14004 Córdoba, Spain.|FiDiPro Program, Department of Physiology, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tena-Sempere
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain.|CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diéguez
mesh_terms: D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000378:metabolism*; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000378:metabolism; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D055808:Drug Discovery; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D000069450:Liraglutide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D022722:Thermogenesis
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D000069450:Liraglutide; D008687:Metformin; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D005947:Glucose