HighlightsPeripheral injections of acyl-ghrelin increase adult hippocampal neurogenesis.Peripheral injections of acyl-ghrelin enhance pattern separation dependent memory.Systemic administration of physiological levels of acyl-ghrelin has long-lasting memory benefits.

Circadian clocks serve to impose a near-24-h temporal architecture on an organism's physiology, metabolism, and behavior. In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus functions as the master circadian pacemaker. There is growing evidence that immunomodulators, such as cytokines, may impinge on circadian timekeeping. We examined whether there is endogenous expression of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and its signaling receptor IL-1R1 in the SCN of young and older mice across the diurnal cycle. We found expression of both IL-1β and IL-1R1 in the young SCN, although only IL-1R1 displayed temporal regulation. In the older SCN, levels of IL-1β were expressed at lower levels than in the young SCN, and IL-1R1 did not vary across the 24 h. We also report age-related day-night variation of IL-1β and IL-1R1 in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Further, we examined the effect of peripheral immune challenge on IL-1β and IL-1R1 in the SCN. We found that IL-1β immunoreactivity was not altered 6 or 24 h after a septic dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 5 mg/kg), whereas IL-1R1 was significantly up-regulated in the SCN both 6 and 24 h after LPS. We also demonstrate cellular activation in the SCN 24 h following LPS treatment, as evidenced by increased c-Fos and p65-NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa B) expression. Our results indicate that IL-1β and its associated signaling system may play a role in mediating the response of the circadian timing system to immune challenge as well as potentially contributing to the basal functioning of the SCN clock.

Background/Aims: The master mammalian circadian pacemaker is the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus. In this study we examined the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and the associated signaller phosphorylated SMAD3 (pSMAD3) in the SCN and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus of the young and older mouse across the diurnal cycle, in order to ascertain whether there are time-of-day and age influences on their expression in the hypothalamus. Methods: Immunohistochemistry coupled to densitometric analysis has been used to quantitate the expression of TGF-β and pSMAD3 in the SCN and PVN. Results: We have demonstrated a diurnal pattern of expression of TGF-β in the SCN of young animals, a rhythm that is lost in older mice. The PVN also shows diurnal expression of TGF-β and older mice exhibit elevated levels. Finally, we have demonstrated a novel day/night difference in the expression of pSMAD3, a part of the TGF signalling pathway, in the SCN, a rhythm that appears to be lost with age. Conclusion: We conclude that TGF-β and pSMAD3 are expressed under basal conditions in the SCN and PVN, and this expression is modulated in both a diurnal and age-dependent manner.

Background: Ghrelin is an orexigenic stomach hormone that acts centrally to increase mid-brain dopamine neurone activity, amplify dopamine signaling and protect against neurotoxin-induced dopamine cell death in the mouse substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). In addition, ghrelin inhibits the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from peripheral macrophages, T-cells and from LPS stimulated microglia. Here we sought to determine whether ghrelin attenuates pro-inflammatory cytokine release from dopaminergic neurones.

The ageing and degenerating brain show deficits in neural stem/progenitor cell (NSPC) plasticity that are accompanied by impairments in olfactory discrimination. Emerging evidence suggests that the gut hormone ghrelin plays an important role in protecting neurones, promoting synaptic plasticity and increasing hippocampal neurogenesis in the adult brain. In the present study, we investigated the role of ghrelin with respect to modulating adult subventricular zone (SVZ) NSPCs that give rise to new olfactory bulb (OB) neurones. We characterised the expression of the ghrelin receptor, growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), using an immunohistochemical approach in GHSR‐eGFP reporter mice to show that GHSR is expressed in several regions, including the OB but not in the SVZ of the lateral ventricle. These data suggest that acyl‐ghrelin does not mediate a direct effect on NSPC in the SVZ. Consistent with these findings, treatment with acyl‐ghrelin or genetic silencing of GHSR did not alter NSPC proliferation within the SVZ. Similarly, using a bromodeoxyuridine pulse‐chase approach, we show that peripheral treatment of adult rats with acyl‐ghrelin did not increase the number of new adult‐born neurones in the granule cell layer of the OB. These data demonstrate that acyl‐ghrelin does not increase adult OB neurogenesis. Finally, we investigated whether elevating ghrelin indirectly, via calorie restriction (CR), regulated the activity of new adult‐born cells in the OB. Overnight CR induced c‐Fos expression in new adult‐born OB cells but not in developmentally born cells, whereas neuronal activity was absent following re‐feeding. These effects were not present in ghrelin−/− mice, suggesting that adult‐born cells are uniquely sensitive to changes in ghrelin mediated by fasting and re‐feeding. In summary, ghrelin does not promote neurogenesis in the SVZ and OB; however, new adult‐born OB cells are activated by CR in a ghrelin‐dependent manner.