Insulin and exercise improves diabetes, AD and PD. In diabetes, resident immune cells (RICs) secrete inflammatory cytokines upon ingestion of fat deposits, inhibiting Akt signaling. Glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) also activates Akt. Perhaps a similar mechanism occurs in the CNS, involving RIC exposure to alpha-synuclein aggregates. We will attempt to replicate this in vitro and characterize RIC inflammatory status, then expose neuronal lines to RIC and monitor Akt inhibition.