Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jyrki Lehtimaki, Niina Jalava, Kaisa Unkila, John Aspegren, Antti Haapalinna, Ullamari Pesonen
Summary: The pharmacological profile of tasipimidine, a novel orally active alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist developed for situational anxiety and fear in dogs, was studied. Tasipimidine demonstrated strong binding affinity and full agonism on the human alpha(2A)-adrenoceptors, while weaker agonism on other alpha 2-adrenoceptors. It had sedative effects in animal experiments.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Ivan C. Alcantara, Ana Pamela Miranda Tapia, Yeka Aponte, Michael J. Krashes
Summary: This Review discusses the advances in neuroscience that have identified brain regions and neural circuits involved in regulating appetite during different phases of eating, including food procurement, food consumption, and meal termination. Studies have found that not only hypothalamic nuclei, but also other brain regions and circuits beyond the hypothalamus, such as the mesolimbic pathway and nodes in the hindbrain, play a role in modulating appetite. Long-term exposure to a calorically dense diet can also alter feeding circuits and the response of motivational systems to food.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuki Kobayashi, Tomoya Okada, Daisuke Miki, Yuko Sekino, Noriko Koganezawa, Tomoaki Shirao, Giovanne B. Diniz, Yumiko Saito
Summary: The primary cilium is a sensitive signaling hub in cells, capable of changing length to ensure efficient signaling capacity. In hippocampal neurons, MCH triggers cilia length reduction via MCHR1-mediated Gi/o and Akt signaling pathways.
NEUROCHEMISTRY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Meng Wang, Yue Zhai, Xiaowei Lei, Jing Xu, Bopei Jiang, Zhe Kuang, Cong Zhang, Shangyun Liu, Shan Bian, Xiao-Mei Yang, Tao Zan, Li-Na Jin, Qingfeng Li, Chao Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the interaction between MRAP2 and MCHR1, and found that MRAP2 could inhibit the signaling of MCHR1. Functional truncation experiments revealed the importance of the C-terminal domains of MRAP2 in pharmacological modulation. These findings elucidated the broad regulatory profile of MRAP2 in the central nervous system.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Mark A. Rossi
Summary: The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) regulates energy balance through complex connections with other brain regions, leveraging distinct neuron populations. Recent studies have identified at least 30 different LHA neuron types, some of which influence specific aspects of energy homeostasis. This review highlights the emerging evidence from cell-type-specific investigations and proposes outstanding questions for future research.
TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Wedad Alhassen, Yuki Kobayashi, Jessica Su, Brianna Robbins, Henry Nguyen, Thant Myint, Micah Yu, Surya M. Nauli, Yumiko Saito, Amal Alachkar
Summary: The MCH system plays a crucial role in regulating the length of brain neuronal primary cilia, with activation causing cilia shortening and inactivation leading to cilia lengthening. This suggests that MCHR1 at primary cilia could be a potential therapeutic target for conditions associated with impaired primary cilia function.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Cristina Concetti, Denis Burdakov
Summary: The lateral hypothalamus plays a role in sleep-wake control by producing orexin/hypocretin and melanin-concentrating hormone neuropeptides. These neuropeptides can rapidly change their firing in response to external stimuli in awake animals. Optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulations suggest that rapid lateral hypothalamic dynamics shape cognitive and motor processes in the awake brain.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Jozsef Huszar, Eva Bozo, Gyula Beke, Krisztina Katalin Szalai, Peter Kardos, Andras Boros, Istvan Greiner, Janos Eles
Summary: Obesity is a global epidemic associated with severe diseases, and pharmacotherapies including MCHR1 antagonists have been investigated. This study designed and synthesized novel MCHR1 antagonists based on benzofuro-pyridine and pyrazino-indole scaffold, and successfully developed compounds with excellent in vitro parameters that can be considered as valuable tools for further pharmacological investigation.
Article
Fisheries
Haruhisa Fukada, Noriko Hosomi, Haruka Morino, Toshiro Masumoto
Summary: The results of two experiments suggest that the levels of NPY and MCH1 in yellowtail are mainly regulated by serum glucose concentration derived from feed, and they function as feeding stimulators.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Sotelo, Jean Tyan, Chelsea Markunas, Bibi A. Sulaman, Lorraine Horwitz, Hankyu Lee, Joshua G. Morrow, Gideon Rothschild, Bo Duan, Ada Eban-Rothschild
Summary: The transition from wakefulness to sleep involves specific behaviors, such as nest-building and grooming, which are associated with stereotypic electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns. The ability to build a nest promotes sleep initiation and consolidation, while the lack of nesting material disrupts sleep. Neuronal ensembles in the lateral hypothalamus regulate the motivation to engage in nest-building behavior and control sleep initiation and intensity.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xiaoman He, Yuhang Li, Nana Zhang, Jinfang Huang, Xing Ming, Ruixiao Guo, Yang Hu, Pengfei Ji, Feifei Guo
Summary: The melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) project to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and play a role in regulating anxiety-like behavior in mice. Chronic acute combining stress (CACS) leads to anxiety-like behavior and intestinal dysfunction, which can be improved by blocking MCH receptor 1 (MCHR1) and regulating intestinal permeability and inflammation.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Lukas T. Oesch, Antoine R. Adamantidis
Summary: This review focuses on the electrical activity of feeding-promoting cells in the lateral hypothalamus across different states of vigilance, with a specific emphasis on REM sleep and its role in brain plasticity related to energy homeostasis and behavioral optimization.
TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Oscar Gonzalez-Flores, James G. Pfaus, Ailyn Luna-Hernandez, Omar Montes-Narvaez, Raymundo Dominguez-Ordonez, Miriam B. Tecamachaltzi-Silvaran, Marcos Garcia-Juarez
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that the Kiss and MCH pathways regulate female sexual behavior induced by steroid hormones. The results showed that the administration of Kiss inhibitor and MCH significantly reduced lordosis behavior induced by hormonal stimulation, supporting the hypothesis.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Ronald McGregor, Alessandra Matzeu, Thomas C. Thannickal, Frank Wu, Marcia Cornford, Remi Martin-Fardon, Jerome M. Siegel
Summary: Heroin addicts and mice administered morphine for a 2 week period demonstrated an increase in hypothalamic hypocretin (Hcrt or orexin) producing neurons, while also showing a decrease in Hcrt cell size. Similarly, male rats addicted to cocaine showed an increased number of detectable Hcrt neurons. On the other hand, humans with alcohol use disorder (AUD) exhibited a decrease in the number and size of detectable Hcrt neurons, as well as a reduction in the size of intermingled melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons. The present study highlights significant differences in the response of Hcrt neurons to opioids and alcohol in individuals with substance abuse history.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jyoti Kumbar, C. B. Ganesh
Summary: The study revealed that melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) blocks follicular development during the ovarian cycle in female tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus, possibly through the suppression of the GnRH-LH axis, and may activate the stress-axis pathway in fish.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)