Date: September 16, 2025
Time: 8:45 am to 10:45 am
Track: Plenary
This session will begin with an overview of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone that plays a crucial role in glucose homeostasis. Beyond its metabolic effects, GLP-1 has gained significant attention for its role in the central nervous system (CNS), particularly in neuroprotection, neuroinflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases. This plenary will focus on emerging science relating to the therapeutic potential of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) in addressing inflammation-driven neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Parkinson disease. The session will begin with an overview of GLP-1 and Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor (GLP-1R), with particular attention to GLP-1R expression in areas of the brain involved in cognition, appetite regulation, and neuroprotection, such as the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and brainstem. This session will also discuss emerging evidence linking CNS GLP-1R activation to neurotrophic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects, including prolonged neuronal survival, oxidative stress reduction, synaptic plasticity enhancement, modulation of glial cell activity, decreased amyloid-beta accumulation, and tau phosphorylation. The session will conclude with real-world evidence of the effects of GLP-1’s in neurodegenerative diseases from both observational studies and clinical trials.
At the conclusion of this symposium, attendees should be able to:
In this presentation Dr. Serena Guo will present real-world evidence on the association between GLP-1R agonists and neurodegenerative conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease).
This presentation will provide an overview of the postnatal development and anatomical organization of hindbrain GLP1 neurons in rodent models, including how their highly collateralized axonal projections target spinal, brainstem, and subcortical forebrain regions, and the extent to which GLP1 axonal projections overlap with central GLP1 receptors. Rodent data will be compared with available human data, and the central bioavailability of systemic GLP1 receptor agonist drugs will be discussed.