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PHYSICAL EXERCISE-INDUCED ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFECTS ARE MEDIATED BY MUSCLE APELIN
Sonata Suk-yu Yauand 4 co-authors
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
FENS Forum 2026 (2026)
Barcelona, Spain
Board PS02-07PM-266
Presentation
Date TBA
Board: PS02-07PM-266
Event Information
Poster Board
PS02-07PM-266
Poster
View posterAbstract
Physical exercise alleviates depressive symptoms and enhances hippocampal plasticity, but the mediators of muscle-brain crosstalk remain unclear. We identified apelin as a key mediator of exercise-induced antidepressant effects. Four weeks of voluntary running increased serum and hippocampal apelin, primarily from skeletal muscle, and reduced depression-like behaviors in mice. Muscle-specific apelin knockout abolished, while muscle-targeted apelin overexpression mimicked, the antidepressant and neurogenic effects of exercise. Mechanistically, apelin enhanced NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmission via APJ receptors on hippocampal neurons, activating casein kinase 2 and downstream signaling to promote neuroplasticity. These findings reveal a muscle-brain axis in which exercise-induced apelin coordinates hippocampal plasticity and antidepressant responses, suggesting new therapeutic targets for depression.
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