Review of insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling pathway and its role in protection against brain diseases

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a pluripotent growth factor, with multiple functions in the peripheral and central nervous systems. Increasing evidence suggests that IGF-1 fine-tunes the development of the central nervous system, ensuring proper neuronal differentiation, maturation, and connectivity. It supports neuronal survival and axon growth, and acts on myelinating Schwann cells and oligodendroglia. The biological functions of IGF-1 are modulated by the IGF-1 signaling pathway. Recent studies have proposed the modulation of the members of the IGF-1/IGF-1 signaling pathway as treatment for neuropathologies. In this study, we introduce the structure of IGF-1/2 and its receptors, with the intra-cellular interactions. Further, we review the therapeutic effects of IGF-1 in different models of brain diseases, via activation of different cellular mechanisms.