Article
Neurosciences
Isabel de Araujo Salgado, Chia Li, C. Joseph Burnett, Shakira Rodriguez Gonzalez, Jordan J. Becker, Allison Horvath, Thomas Earnest, Alexxai V. Kravitz, Michael J. Krashes
Summary: This study explores the flexible survival decisions of animals facing predation threats during food seeking. The presence of predators rapidly induces physiological, neuronal, and behavioral adaptations in mice. When the threat level increases, food seeking and consumption in mice are restricted, and conflict can be reduced by changing internal states or external environments, leading to a shift in feeding strategies.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Benjamin Hyunju Ahn, Minyoo Kim, Sung-Yon Kim
Summary: Understanding the neural circuit mechanisms underlying feeding behaviors is important for identifying therapeutic targets for food-related disorders. Homeostatic and non-homeostatic appetites interact through neural circuits to promote feeding behaviors. Recent breakthroughs in research techniques have accelerated the discovery of these neural circuits.
EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Franco Barrile, Daniela Cassano, Gimena Fernandez, Pablo N. De Francesco, Mirta Reynaldo, Sonia Cantel, Jean-Alain Fehrentz, Jose Donato Jr, Helgi B. Schioth, Jeffrey M. Zigman, Mario Perello
Summary: This study found that ghrelin receptor (GHSR) is widely distributed in the mouse lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), mediating the effects of ghrelin on food intake. Local injections of ghrelin in LHA increase food intake and locomotor activity through the indirect recruitment of orexin neurons in LHA and activation of neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARH). These findings provide a neuroanatomical and functional characterization of LHA GHSR neurons and their important role in regulating food intake.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Patrick Sweeney, Michelle N. Bedenbaugh, Jose Maldonado, Pauline Pan, Katelyn Fowler, Savannah Y. Williams, Luis E. Gimenez, Masoud Ghamari-Langroudi, Griffin Downing, Yijun Gui, Colleen K. Hadley, Stephen T. Joy, Anna K. Mapp, Richard B. Simerly, Roger D. Cone
Summary: Research has shown that MC3R plays a crucial role in controlling feeding behavior, primarily through its impact on the AgRP circuitry. While there is sexual dimorphism in the expression of MC3R in different brain regions, there is no sexual dimorphism in AgRP neurons. MC3R is considered a potential therapeutic target for disorders such as anorexia.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Li Li, Steven C. Wyler, Luis A. Leon-Mercado, Baijie Xu, Youjin Oh, Swati, Xiameng Chen, Rong Wan, Amanda G. Arnold, Lin Jia, Guanlin Wang, Katherine Nautiyal, Rene Hen, Jong-Woo Sohn, Chen Liu
Summary: Li et al. demonstrate the appetite-suppressing effect of a class of commonly prescribed antimigraine drugs in mice and elucidate the underlying neural pathway. They find that triptans can reduce food intake and body weight in mice, and this anorectic effect is dependent on the serotonin 1B receptor. By manipulating Htr1b in different brain regions, they show that Htr1b engages in spatiotemporally segregated neural pathways to regulate growth and food intake. Furthermore, they discover the involvement of Htr1b in AgRP neurons in the hypothalamus in the hypophagic effects of HTR1B agonists.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jie Yu, Xuan Guo, Shen Zheng, Wei Zhang
Summary: The physical property of food is important for evaluating its palatability. Fruit flies are most attracted to chewy food and have a preference for harder food. Mechanosensory neurons on the fly proboscis are activated during active probing on food and promote ingestion by activating sweet-sensing neurons. The neural mechanisms underlying active touch and texture preference in flies are still poorly understood.
Article
Biology
Dan Landayan, Brian P. Wang, Jennifer Zhou, Fred W. Wolf
Summary: Two central brain interneurons, Janu-GABA and Janu-AstA, regulate thirsty water seeking behavior in Drosophila. These neurons coordinate internal state drives to selectively control motivated seeking behavior.
Article
Psychiatry
Chunmei Wang, Wenjun Zhou, Yang He, Tiffany Yang, Pingwen Xu, Yongjie Yang, Xing Cai, Julia Wang, Hesong Liu, Meng Yu, Chen Liang, Tingting Yang, Hailan Liu, Makoto Fukuda, Qingchun Tong, Qi Wu, Zheng Sun, Yanlin He, Yong Xu
Summary: Sufficient feeding is essential for animals' survival, and the neurobiological processes regulating food seeking behavior have been partially understood, in which the AgRP -> PVT circuit is crucial for food seeking.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Justin N. Siemian, Miguel A. Arenivar, Sarah Sarsfield, Yeka Aponte
Summary: The study reveals the distinct roles of different hypothalamic neuronal populations in regulating internal hunger states and food intake behavior. The manipulation of specific neuronal circuits can evoke varied effects on feeding behaviors, shedding light on potential therapeutic targets for eating disorders.
Article
Cell Biology
Nicolas Saucisse, Wilfrid Mazier, Vincent Simon, Elke Binder, Caterina Catania, Luigi Bellocchio, Roman A. Romanov, Stephane Leon, Isabelle Matias, Philippe Zizzari, Carmelo Quarta, Astrid Cannich, Kana Meece, Delphine Gonzales, Samantha Clark, Julia M. Becker, Giles S. H. Yeo, Xavier Fioramonti, Florian T. Merkle, Sharon L. Wardlaw, Tibor Harkany, Federico Massa, Giovanni Marsicano, Daniela Cota
Summary: Blocking the energy sensor mTORC1 in POMC neurons can mimic a cellular negative energy state, leading to hyperphagia. The functional specificity of the GABA and glutamate subpopulations in POMC neurons relies on the activity of mTORC1.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yanlin He, Xing Cai, Hailan Liu, Krisitine M. Conde, Pingwen Xu, Yongxiang Li, Chunmei Wang, Meng Yu, Yang He, Hesong Liu, Chen Liang, Tingting Yang, Yongjie Yang, Kaifan Yu, Julia Wang, Rong Zheng, Feng Liu, Zheng Sun, Lora Heisler, Qi Wu, Qingchun Tong, Canjun Zhu, Gang Shu, Yong Xu
Summary: The translation discusses how obesity is primarily caused by consuming excessive calories beyond energetic requirements, while the underlying drivers have not been fully defined. The study found that activating specific neural pathways can regulate different types of feeding behavior, driven by either hunger or non-hunger cues.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Yuanzhong Xu, Zhiying Jiang, Hongli Li, Jing Cai, Yanyan Jiang, Joshua Otiz-Guzman, Yong Xu, Benjamin R. Arenkiel, Qingchun Tong
Summary: The melanocortin pathway plays a critical role in body-weight regulation and is mediated by paraventricular hypothalamic neurons that express melanocortin receptors 4 and project to the ventral part of the lateral septum. Activation of these neurons reduces feeding and causes aversion, while disruption of their function leads to obesity and reduced energy expenditure.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Sebastian Zagmutt, Paula Mera, Ismael Gonzalez-Garcia, Kevin Ibeas, Maria del Mar Romero, Arnaud Obri, Beatriz Martin, Anna Esteve-Codina, M. Carmen Soler-Vazquez, Marianela Bastias-Perez, Laia Canes, Elisabeth Auge, Carme Pelegri, Jordi Vilaplana, Xavier Ariza, Jordi Garcia, Jose Martinez-Gonzalez, Nuria Casals, Miguel Lopez, Richard Palmiter, Elisenda Sanz, Albert Quintana, Laura Herrero, Dolors Serra
Summary: Fatty acid metabolism and CPT1A in AgRP neurons play a key role in the maintenance of whole-body fluid and energy balance. This study reveals marked sex differences in fatty acid metabolism and CPT1A expression in AgRP neurons.
BIOLOGY OF SEX DIFFERENCES
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Hailan Liu, Yang He, Juli Bai, Chuanhai Zhang, Feng Zhang, Yongjie Yang, Hairong Luo, Meng Yu, Hesong Liu, Longlong Tu, Nan Zhang, Na Yin, Junying Han, Zili Yan, Nikolas Anthony Scarcelli, Kristine Marie Conde, Mengjie Wang, Jonathan Carter Bean, Camille Hollan Sidell Potts, Chunmei Wang, Fang Hu, Feng Liu, Yong Xu
Summary: A study found that the adaptor protein Grb10 can enhance leptin signaling and reduce appetite through regulating the activity of AgRP and POMC neurons. Overexpression of Grb10 in AgRP neurons can decrease body weight, while in POMC neurons it can attenuate diet-induced obesity. The mechanism may involve enhancing leptin's effects on neurons through regulating KATP and TRP channels.
Review
Neurosciences
Yoav Livneh, Mark L. Andermann
Summary: Our wellness is dependent on continuous interactions between the brain and body, with the insular cortex playing a key role in predictive processing. Recent studies on cellular activity in the rodent insular cortex provide a unifying heuristic model for guiding future research.