Home › Research › Drug development
Are Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists Central Nervous System (CNS) Penetrant: A Narrative Review
Juliana West, Maggie Li, Sabrina Wong, Gia Han Le, Kayla M Teopiz, Kyle Valentino, Christine E Dri, Roger S McIntyre. Neurology and therapy, 2025-04-02
Topic: Gut, metabolism and diet
We identified 14 studies that were included in this synthesis. Preclinical studies suggest that select GLP-1 RAs cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) (i.e. liraglutide, semaglutide, and exenatide). Replicated evidence suggests that CNS penetration of GLP-1 RAs can be proxied by reported effects of GLP-1 RAs on brain connectivity in human participants. Preclinical studies indicate that select GLP-1 RAs are CNS penetrant; whether GLP-1 RAs reproducibly engage neural targets hypothesized to subserve dimensions of psychopathology (e.g., general cognitive functions) remains incompletely characterized.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
West, J., Li, M., Wong, S., Le, G. H., Teopiz, K. M., Valentino, K., et al. (2025). Are Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists Central Nervous System (CNS) Penetrant: A Narrative Review. Neurology and therapy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-025-00724-y
Vancouver
West J, Li M, Wong S, Le GH, Teopiz KM, Valentino K, et al. Are Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists Central Nervous System (CNS) Penetrant: A Narrative Review. Neurology and therapy. 2025. doi:10.1007/s40120-025-00724-y. PMID: 40172827.
BibTeX
@article{west2025-40172827,
author = {West, Juliana and Li, Maggie and Wong, Sabrina and Le, Gia Han and Teopiz, Kayla M and Valentino, Kyle and Dri, Christine E and McIntyre, Roger S},
title = {{Are Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists Central Nervous System (CNS) Penetrant: A Narrative Review}},
journal = {Neurology and therapy},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1007/s40120-025-00724-y},
pmid = {40172827},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-025-00724-y}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- We identified 14 studies that were included in this synthesis.
- Preclinical studies suggest that select GLP-1 RAs cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) (i.e. liraglutide, semaglutide, and exenatide).
- Replicated evidence suggests that CNS penetration of GLP-1 RAs can be proxied by reported effects of GLP-1 RAs on brain connectivity in human participants.
- Preclinical studies indicate that select GLP-1 RAs are CNS penetrant; whether GLP-1 RAs reproducibly engage neural targets hypothesized to subserve dimensions of psychopathology (e.g., general cognitive functions) remains incompletely characterized.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Treatments →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multicenter collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurology and therapy) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multicenter collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40172827) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 24 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Free copy unknown: no free-copy check has an answer for this record yet. That does not mean it is paywalled.
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Related studies in Drug development
Also tagged “peptide-1”
285 studies in the library carry the topic tag “peptide-1”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 285 tagged studies.