title: Blood-Brain Barriers in Obesity.
abstract: After decades of rapid increase, the rate of obesity in adults in the USA is beginning to slow and the rate of childhood obesity is stabilizing. Despite these improvements, the obesity epidemic continues to be a major health and financial burden. Obesity is associated with serious negative health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and, more recently, cognitive decline and various neurodegenerative dementias such as Alzheimer's disease. In the past decade, major advancements have contributed to the understanding of the role of the central nervous system (CNS) in the development of obesity and how peripheral hormonal signals modulate CNS regulation of energy homeostasis. In this article, we address how obesity affects the structure and function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the impact of obesity on Alzheimer's disease, the effects of obesity on circulating proteins and their transport into the brain, and how these changes can potentially be reversed by weight loss.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA. meredime@uw.edu.|Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, 810A/Bldg 1, 1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, Washington, 98108, USA. meredime@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Rhea
authors.affiliation: Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.|Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, 810A/Bldg 1, 1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, Washington, 98108, USA.
authors.forename: Therese S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Salameh
authors.affiliation: Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.|Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, 810A/Bldg 1, 1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, Washington, 98108, USA.
authors.forename: Aric F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Logsdon
authors.affiliation: Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.|Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, 810A/Bldg 1, 1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, Washington, 98108, USA.
authors.forename: Angela J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.affiliation: Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.|Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, 810A/Bldg 1, 1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, Washington, 98108, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.affiliation: Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.|Geriatrics Research Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, 810A/Bldg 1, 1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, Washington, 98108, USA.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Banks
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006728:Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones
keywords: blood-brain barrier; insulin; leptin; obesity