Are Tanycytes the Missing Link Between Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease?

Tanycytes are highly specialized bipolar ependymal cells that line the ventrolateral wall and the floor of the third ventricle in the brain and form a blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier at the level of the median eminence. They play a pivotal role in regulating metabolic networks that control body weight and energy homeostasis. Due to the glucosensing function of tanycytes, they could be considered as a critical player in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Genetic fate mapping studies have established the role of tanycytes for the newly detected adult hypothalamic neurogenesis with important implications for metabolism as well as pathophysiology of various neurodegenerative diseases. We believe that a comprehensive understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying their neuroplasticity, glucosensing, and cross talk with endothelial cells will enable us to achieve metabolic homeostasis in type 2 diabetes patients and possibly delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and hopefully improve cognitive function.