Journal
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
Volume 67, Issue 6, Pages 611-625Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/gerona/gls118
Keywords
IGF-1; Brain aging; Synaptic function; Memory; Learning
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [NS056218, AG11370, AG27147, AG031085, AT006526]
- American Federation for Aging Research
- Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology
- American Heart Association
- GHR Foundation
- Ellison Medical Foundation
- Donald W. Reynolds Foundation
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Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 is an important neurotrophic hormone. Deficiency of this hormone has been reported to influence the genesis of cognitive impairment and dementia in the elderly patients. Nevertheless, there are studies indicating that cognitive function can be maintained into old age even in the absence of circulating IGF-1 and studies that link IGF-1 to an acceleration of neurological diseases. Although IGF-1 has a complex role in brain function, synaptic effects appear to be central to the IGF-1-induced improvement in learning and memory. In this review, synaptic mechanisms of learning and memory and the effects of IGF-1 on synaptic communication are discussed. The emerging data indicate that synaptic function decreases with age and that IGF-1 contributes to information processing in the brain. Further studies that detail the specific actions of this important neurotrophic hormone will likely lead to therapies that result in improved cognitive function for the elderly patients.
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