Brain to bone: What is the contribution of the brain to skeletal homeostasis?

The brain, which governs most, if not all, physiological functions in the body, from the complexities of cognition, learning and memory, to the regulation of basal body temperature, heart rate and breathing, has long been known to affect skeletal health. In particular, the hypothalamus – located at the base of the brain in close proximity to the medial eminence, where the blood-brain-barrier is not as tight as in other regions of the brain but rather “leaky”, due to fenestrated capillaries – is exposed to a variety of circulating body cues, such as nutrients (glucose, fatt y acids, amino acids), and hormones (insulin, glucagon, leptin, adiponectin) [1–3].Information collected from the body via these peripheral cues is integrated by hypothalamic sensing neurons and glial cells [4–7], which express receptors for these nutrients and hormones, transforming these cues into physiological outputs.
Source: Bone - Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Tags: Review Article Source Type: research