Bone and the central nervous system

Abstract

The human skeleton is a miracle of engineering, combining both strength and light weight to provide mechanical support to withstand the force of gravity and to transfer muscle forces during movement. The brain is well established as a master regulator of homeostasis in peripheral tissues. The discovery of bone regulation by central nervous system represents a growing area of study that is identifying novel regulatory axes between the nervous system and bone homeostasis, and revealing a far more complex, and interdependent bone biology than previously envisioned. This chapter examines the current understanding of the central regulation of bone homeostasis. Herein, we will discuss the contribution of central peptides, and other peptides such as leptin, and semaphorins and involvement of the brain in regulation of bone metabolism.