The role of insulin in the brain is still not completely understood. In the periphery, insulin can decrease inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS); however, whether insulin can reduce inflammation within the brain is unknown. Experiments administrating intranasal insulin to young and aged adults have shown that insulin improves memory. In our animal model of chronic neuroinflammation, we administered insulin and/or LPS directly into the brain via the fourth ventricle for 4 weeks in young rats; we then analyzed their spatial memory and neuroinflammatory response. Additionally, we administered insulin or artificial cerebral spinal fluid (aCSF), in the same manner, to aged rats and then analyzed their spatial memory and neuroinflammatory response. Response to chronic neuroinflammation in young rats was analyzed in the presence or absence of insulin supplementation. Here, we show for the first time that insulin infused (i.c.v.) to young rats significantly attenuated the effects of LPS by decreasing the expression of neuroinflammatory markers in the hippocampus and by improving performance in the Morris water pool task. In young rats, insulin infusion alone significantly improved their performance as compared to all other groups. Unexpectedly, in aged rats, the responsiveness to insulin was completely absent, that is, spatial memory was still impaired suggesting that an age-dependent insulin resistance may contribute to the cognitive impairment observed in neurodegenerative diseases. Our data suggest a novel therapeutic effect of insulin on neuroinflammation in the young but not the aged brain.

Insulin receptor (IR) in the brain plays a role in synaptic plasticity and cognitive functions. Phosphorylation of a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors GluR1 subunit at Serine 831 is regulated by calcium-calmodulindependent protein kinase II and protein kinase C that underlie long-term potentiation and learning/memory. Recent studies have shown that the novel Protein Kinase M zeta (PKMf) underlies synaptic plasticity and may regulate AMPAr. In this study, we show that insulin induces phosphorylation of Serine 831 GluR1 subunit of AMPAr and induces over-expression of PKMf; pre-treatment with either the IR inhibitor 3-Bromo-5-tbutyl-4-hydroxy-benzylidenemalonitrile (AG1024) or PKMf inhibitor protein kinase C zeta pseudo-substrate inhibitor returned the phosphorylation value of GluR1 to control level. Amyloid beta (Ab) peptide in the form of oligomers interferes with IR signaling. Pre-treating neuronal cultures with Ab following incubation with insulin, we found a reduction of insulin-dependent PKMf over-expression and MAPK/Erk (1/2) phosphorylation, i.e., signaling pathways involved in synaptic plasticity and learning/memory. These results indicate a new intracellular insulin signaling pathway, and, additionally, that insulin resistance in Alzheimer's disease is a response to the production and accumulation of Ab.

Age-associated memory impairments may result as a consequence of neuroinflammatory induction of intracellular calcium (Ca+2) dysregulation. Altered L-type voltage dependent calcium channel (L-VDCC) and ryanodine receptor (RyR) activity may underlie age-associated learning and memory impairments. Various neuroinflammatory markers are associated with increased activity of both L-VDCCs and RyRs, and increased neuroinflammation are associated with normal aging. In vitro, pharmacological blockade of L-VDCCs and RyRs has been shown to be anti-inflammatory. Here, we examined whether pharmacological blockade of L-VDCCs or RyRs with the drugs nimodipine and dantrolene, respectively, could improve spatial memory and reduce age-associated increases in microglia activation. Dantrolene and nimodipine differentially attenuated age-associated spatial memory deficits but were not anti-inflammatory in vivo. Furthermore, RyR gene expression was inversely correlated with spatial memory, highlighting the central role of Ca+2 dysregulation in age-associated memory deficits.

BackgroundChronic neuroinflammation and calcium (Ca+2) dysregulation are both components of Alzheimer’s disease. Prolonged neuroinflammation produces elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species which can alter neuronal Ca+2 homeostasis via L-type voltage-dependent Ca+2 channels (L-VDCCs) and ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Chronic neuroinflammation also leads to deficits in spatial memory, which may be related to Ca+2 dysregulation.MethodsThe studies herein use an in vivo model of chronic neuroinflammation: rats were infused intraventricularly with a continuous small dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) for 28 days. The rats were treated with the L-VDCC antagonist nimodipine or the RyR antagonist dantrolene.ResultsLPS-infused rats had significant memory deficits in the Morris water maze, and this deficit was ameliorated by treatment with nimodipine. Synaptosomes from LPS-infused rats had increased Ca+2 uptake, which was reduced by a blockade of L-VDCCs either in vivo or ex vivo.ConclusionsTaken together, these data indicate that Ca+2 dysregulation during chronic neuroinflammation is partially dependent on increases in L-VDCC function. However, blockade of the RyRs also slightly improved spatial memory of the LPS-infused rats, demonstrating that other Ca+2 channels are dysregulated during chronic neuroinflammation. Ca+2-dependent immediate early gene expression was reduced in LPS-infused rats treated with dantrolene or nimodipine, indicating normalized synaptic function that may underlie improvements in spatial memory. Pro-inflammatory markers are also reduced in LPS-infused rats treated with either drug. Overall, these data suggest that Ca+2 dysregulation via L-VDCCs and RyRs play a crucial role in memory deficits resulting from chronic neuroinflammation.