Evidence mapPaperPMID 42017287Full record

ArticleDiabetes, obesity & metabolism2026

Postprandial Glucagon Action in the Human Brain.

Robert Wagner, Stephanie Kullmann, Julia Hummel, Katsiaryna Prystupa, Elena Hosenfeld, Ralf Veit, Andreas L Birkenfeld, Hans-Ulrich Häring, Hubert Preissl, Andreas Fritsche and 2 more

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Article in Diabetes, obesity & metabolism, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Robert WagnerInstitute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Leibnitz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Stephanie KullmannGerman Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Neuherberg, Germany.
Julia HummelDivision of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
Katsiaryna PrystupaInstitute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Leibnitz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Elena HosenfeldDepartment of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Diabetology, Endocrinology and Nephrology, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Ralf VeitGerman Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Neuherberg, Germany.
Andreas L BirkenfeldGerman Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Neuherberg, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1407-9023
Hans-Ulrich HäringGerman Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Neuherberg, Germany.
Hubert PreisslGerman Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Neuherberg, Germany.
Andreas FritscheGerman Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Neuherberg, Germany.
Andreas PeterGerman Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Neuherberg, Germany.
Martin HeniDivision of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8462-3832

Funding

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung 01GI0925
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsElevated fasting glucagon is linked to hyperglycemia, but postprandial glucagon effects are less understood. Recent evidence suggests metabolic benefits of rising glucagon after oral glucose intake, potentially impacting brain-mediated whole-body metabolism. To elucidate the translational relevance of these findings, we studied postprandial effects of glucagon on the human brain. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe performed oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) combined with functional magnetic resonance imaging to quantify brain activity and connectivity at fasting, 30 and 120 min post glucose load in 30 volunteers. In 14 participants with suppressed glucagon, low-dose glucagon infusion mimicked non-suppressed glucagon after OGTT. This was compared to 7 participants with endogenous rising glucagon during OGTT.

resultsLow-dose glucagon infusion did not elevate plasma glucose levels during OGTT. Also, no changes in insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion were observed. However, experimentally elevating glucagon during OGTT in individuals with physiological suppression of glucagon significantly increased postprandial brain responsivity in the hippocampal gyrus and in brain regions important for the homeostatic and hedonic regulation of food intake as well as systemic metabolism (i.e., hypothalamus and ventral striatum). Most postprandial brain responsiveness during glucagon infusion was directionally consistent with the findings in persons with endogenously rising glucagon. Moreover, the postprandial brain response correlated with the rise in glucagon, regardless of exogenous or endogenous source of glucagon. Although the overall glucagon trajectory during OGTT was not significantly different over the full 0-150 min period, the groups differed at key post-challenge timepoints and in integrated glucagon exposure. Together with the infusion and correlation analyses, this supports a relationship between postprandial glucagon and brain responsivity, while more subtle differences in glucagon kinetics will require larger studies.

conclusionsOur findings demonstrate postprandial effects of glucagon in metabolically relevant human brain areas. This may underlie the promising effects on body weight achieved with pharmacological multi-agonists that activate the glucagon receptor.

Indexed as

BrainGlucagonPostprandial PeriodAdultBlood GlucoseFemaleGlucose Tolerance TestHumansInsulinInsulin ResistanceMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleYoung AdultBlood GlucoseGlucagonInsulinbrain metabolismcerebral blood flowglucagonhypothalamusinsulin sensitivitymetabolic regulationMRI neuroimagingOGTT (oral glucose tolerance test)

Identifiers

PMID42017287
PMCPMC13243955

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.