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Review
. 2020 Feb 7;19(1):22.
doi: 10.1186/s12944-020-01203-z.

Leptin and psychiatric illnesses: does leptin play a role in antipsychotic-induced weight gain?

Francky Teddy Endomba  1   2 , Aurel T Tankeu  2   3 , Jan René Nkeck  2 , Joel Noutakdie Tochie  4   5
Affiliations
Review

Leptin and psychiatric illnesses: does leptin play a role in antipsychotic-induced weight gain?

Francky Teddy Endomba et al. Lipids Health Dis. .

Abstract

Antipsychotic-induced weight gain is the most prevalent somatic adverse event occurring in patients treated by antipsychotics, especially atypical antipsychotics. It is of particular interest because of its repercussion on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality especially now that the use of second-generation antipsychotics has been extended to other mental health illnesses such as bipolar disorders and major depressive disorder. The mechanism underlying antipsychotics-induced weight gain is still poorly understood despite a significant amount of work on the topic. Recently, there has been an on-going debate of tremendous research interest on the relationship between antipsychotic-induced weight gain and body weight regulatory hormones such as leptin. Given that, researchers have brought to light the question of leptin's role in antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Here we summarize and discuss the existing evidence on the link between leptin and weight gain related to antipsychotic drugs, especially atypical antipsychotics.

Keywords: Antipsychotic drugs; Antipsychotic-induced weight gain; Leptin; Mental health disorders; Second-generation antipsychotics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Neurobiological actions of antipsychotics and therapeutic effects. Ach: acetylcholine, DA: dopamine, HT: Hydroxytryptamine, NE: norepinephrine, PFC: prefrontal cortex
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pathways of energy balance control by leptin. AgRP: agouti-related protein, BDFN: brain-derived neurotrophic factor, CART: cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript, CRH: corticotrophin-releasing hormone, ERK: extracellular signal-regulated kinases, JAK: Janus activated kinase, GALP: galanin-like peptide, IRS-1: insulin receptor substrates, LepRb: leptin receptor isoform b, MCH: melanin-concentrating hormone, NPY: neuropeptide Y, NT: neurotensin, PI3K: phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, POMC: pro-opiomelanocortin, STAT: signal transducer and activator of transcription
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Areas of LepR-expressing neurons and leptin-mediated biological functions. ARH: arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, DMH: dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, LHA: lateral hypothalamic area, MPO: medial preoptic area, VMH: ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, VTA: ventral tegmental area
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Interactions between SGAs, weight gain and leptin metabolism. D: dopamine, H: histamine, HT: Hydroxytryptamine, M: muscarinic, SGAs: second generation antipsychotics. The symbols (+) and (−) respectively refers to stimulation and inhibition
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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