Article
Neurosciences
Ping Cai, Sheng-Nan Huang, Zhi-Hui Lin, Zewu Wang, Ren-Fu Liu, Wen-Hao Xiao, Zhang-Shu Li, Zhong-Hua Zhu, Jing Yao, Xiong-Bin Yan, Fu-Dan Wang, Shun-Xing Zeng, Guo-Qiang Chen, Liu-Yun Yang, Yu-Kun Sun, Changxi Yu, Li Chen, Wen-Xiang Wang
Summary: This study reveals the important role of lateral hypothalamus (LH) astrocytes in sleep-wake regulation. The activity of LH astrocytes is found to be increased during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep-to-wake transitions and decreased during wake-to-NREM sleep transitions. Activation of LH astrocytes promotes wakefulness and maintains long-term arousal, while inhibition of LH astrocytes decreases wakefulness. Furthermore, activation of LH astrocytes enhances the calcium signals of adjacent neurons, especially GABAergic neurons. These findings suggest that LH astrocytes play a key role in regulating wakefulness and may contribute to clinical sleep disorders.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jordan Fauser, Nicholas Leschinsky, Barbara N. Szynal, Andrei V. Karginov
Summary: This review discusses recent advancements in engineered allosteric regulation, highlighting the benefits and pitfalls of various bioengineered techniques and their potential applications.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Brian A. McCool
Summary: This review highlights the important role of neural circuits between rodent prefrontal cortical areas and the basolateral amygdala in behavioral modulation, mentioning the impact of environmental experiences and drug abuse on these circuits. Research has found that these circuits help regulate aversive stimuli and reward-seeking, while pathological environments or drug abuse may lead to dysregulation of these circuits.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shiji Deng, Shu Shu, Lili Zhai, Shengnan Xia, Xiang Cao, Huiya Li, Xinyu Bao, Pinyi Liu, Yun Xu
Summary: White matter injury (WMI) is a cause of cognitive decline or dementia caused by cerebral vascular diseases. This study explores novel therapeutic strategies for WMI by applying adaptive myelination-related strategies. The study found that neuromodulation through activation of glutamatergic neurons promotes myelin repair and cognitive recovery in the context of ischemic WMI.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Lu Zhang, Yuping Wang
Summary: Gene therapy could be a potential alternative for treating epilepsy, with tailored gene vectors and appropriate therapeutic target selection being crucial. Various treatment strategies have been tested in animal models, and emerging tools like optogenetics and genome editing hold promise for advancing gene therapy.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francina Mesquida-Veny, Sara Martinez-Torres, Jose Antonio Del Rio, Arnau Hervera
Summary: The study found that modulating neuronal activity through opto- and chemogenetics can promote axonal regeneration, but the effect is not significant in restrictive environments, and inhibitory substrates can block activity-induced axonal growth.
MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Felicia Reed, Alex Reichenbach, Harry Dempsey, Rachel E. Clarke, Mathieu Mequinion, Romana Stark, Sasha Rawlinson, Claire J. Foldi, Sarah H. Lockie, Zane B. Andrews
Summary: This study reveals that hunger and the environmental context can increase food-seeking behavior, and the activity of AgRP neurons plays a crucial role in this process. Precise temporal control of AgRP neuron activity is necessary for the development of the context-induced feeding response.
MOLECULAR METABOLISM
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rui Liu, Huan Xiang, Chunyang Liu, Qiuyi Jiang, Yanchao Liang, Guangzheng Wang, Lu Wang, Yi Sun, Guang Yang
Summary: Cold aversion is a fundamental behavior that affects body temperature homeostasis. This study reveals the involvement of the lateral habenula (LHb) in regulating negative emotions and an increase in LHb neuron activity after exposure to cold stimuli. Furthermore, a neural circuit from the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) to LHb is identified as crucial for cold aversion behavior.
NEUROCHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ishnoor Singh, Le Wang, Baijuan Xia, Ji Liu, Azeddine Tahiri, Abdelfattah El Ouaamari, Michael B. Wheeler, Zhiping P. Pang
Summary: This study analyzed the distribution of GLP-1R-expressing neurons and their axonal projections in the mouse brain. The results showed that GLP-1R neurons are widely distributed, especially in the hypothalamus, including the ARC, a region known to regulate energy homeostasis and feeding behavior. Activation of ARC GLP-1R neurons significantly suppressed food intake but had minimal impact on glucose homeostasis.
CELL AND BIOSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Bing-Qian Fan, Jun-Ming Xia, Dan-Dan Chen, Li-Li Feng, Jia-Hui Ding, Shuang-Shuang Li, Wen-Xian Li, Yuan Han
Summary: This study reveals the important role of medial septum (MS) glutamatergic neurons in pain processing and regulation. MS glutamatergic neurons modulate nociception by projecting to the lateral hypothalamus (LH), but not the supramammillary nucleus (SuM). These findings provide new insights into the neural circuit mechanisms underlying pain perception.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Sun-Nyoung Hwang, Jae Seung Lee, Kain Seo, Hyosang Lee
Summary: Astrocytes, once thought to only provide homeostatic support for neurons, are now known to actively interact with local neural circuits, playing a crucial role in information processing and generating physiological and behavioral responses.
Review
Neurosciences
Sebastian Parusel, Min-Hee Yi, Christine L. Hunt, Long-Jun Wu
Summary: Chronic pain relief remains an unmet medical need and glia-neuron interaction plays a crucial role in its pathogenesis. Microglia play a significant role in the development of chronic pain. Chemogenetic and optogenetic tools provide powerful means to study the function of microglia in chronic pain.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Tom Biselli, Susen Sopie Lange, Lynn Sablottny, Johannes Steffen, Andreas Walther
Summary: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and its treatment pose global health challenges. Optogenetics and chemogenetics have advanced MDD research by uncovering causal relationships between cell-type-specific control of neurons and depressive-like behavior in rodents.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Chang-Rui Chen, Yu-Heng Zhong, Shan Jiang, Wei Xu, Lei Xiao, Zan Wang, Wei-Min Qu, Zhi-Li Huang
Summary: Hypersomnolence disorder is characterized by excessive sleep following stroke, infection, or tumorigenesis, and is traditionally associated with lesions of wake-promoting nuclei. The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) with glutamatergic neurons was found to be critical for arousal promotion and maintenance, as activating PVHvglut2 neurons induced wakefulness and driving transitions from sleep to wakefulness.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Axelle Khouma, Moein Minbashi Moeini, Julie Plamondon, Denis Richard, Alexandre Caron, Natalie Jane Michael
Summary: Histamine, a neuromodulator in the brain, contributes to the regulation of various physiological processes, including energy balance, through histaminergic signaling in the hypothalamus. Two histamine receptors, H1R and H3R, play important roles in key hypothalamic nuclei involved in energy homeostasis. Activation of H1R suppresses food intake, while activation of H3R stimulates appetite. The central histaminergic system is implicated in weight gain induced by atypical antipsychotics and has potential as a therapeutic target for obesity treatment.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Patrick Sweeney, Russell Levack, Jared Watters, Zhenping Xu, Yunlei Yang
Article
Neurosciences
Patrick Sweeney, Yong Qi, Zhenping Xu, Yunlei Yang
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
P. Sweeney, K. O'Hara, Z. Xu, Y. Yang
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBESITY
(2017)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patrick Sweeney, Changhong Li, Yunlei Yang
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2017)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Patrick Sweeney, Yunlei Yang
TRENDS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM
(2017)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masoud Ghamari-Langroudi, Isin Cakir, Rachel N. Lippert, Patrick Sweeney, Michael J. Litt, Kate L. J. Ellacott, Roger D. Cone
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jia Zhang, Dan Chen, Patrick Sweeney, Yunlei Yang
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patrick Sweeney, Can Chen, Indika Rajapakse, Roger D. Cone
Summary: Mutations in MC4R gene can lead to hyperphagia and obesity, with the activity of PVN MC4R neurons being influenced by changes in energy state and pharmacological intervention. Utilizing endomicroscopic and mathematical methods, it is possible to determine the quantitative and qualitative changes in PVN MC4R neurons during fasting and refeeding, as well as the encoding of different energy states by distinct neuronal ensembles.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
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
Multidisciplinary Sciences
B. Y. H. Lam, A. Williamson, S. Finer, F. R. Day, J. A. Tadross, A. Goncalves Soares, K. Wade, P. Sweeney, M. N. Bedenbaugh, D. T. Porter, A. Melvin, K. L. J. Ellacott, R. N. Lippert, S. Buller, J. Rosmaninho-Salgado, G. K. C. Dowsett, K. E. Ridley, Z. Xu, I. Cimino, D. Rimmington, K. Rainbow, K. Duckett, S. Holmqvist, A. Khan, X. Dai, E. G. Bochukova, R. C. Trembath, H. C. Martin, A. P. Coll, D. H. Rowitch, N. J. Wareham, D. A. van Heel, N. Timpson, R. B. Simerly, K. K. Ong, R. D. Cone, C. Langenberg, J. R. B. Perry, G. S. Yeo, S. O'Rahilly
Summary: MC3R regulates the timing of sexual maturation, linear growth rate, and accrual of lean mass, while MC4R controls appetite, food intake, and energy expenditure. Loss of MC3R leads to delayed puberty, reduced linear growth, and decreased lean mass, while loss of MC4R results in delayed sexual maturation and insensitivity of reproductive cycle length to nutritional perturbation.
Article
Neurosciences
Michelle N. Bedenbaugh, Samantha C. Brener, Jose Maldonado, Rachel N. Lippert, Patrick Sweeney, Roger D. Cone, Richard B. Simerly
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive mapping of MC3R neural circuits, revealing their connections with multiple brain regions and their sexual dimorphism. The findings suggest that MC3R plays an important role in controlling various complex behaviors.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Yijun Gui, Naima S. Dahir, Yanan Wu, Griffin Downing, Patrick Sweeney, Roger D. Cone
Summary: MC3R is a crucial player in regulating the responsiveness of AgRP neurons to hormonal and neural signals of energy need, as demonstrated by the defective activation of AgRP neurons in MC3R knockout mice in response to fasting, cold exposure, or ghrelin.
Article
Biology
Ingrid Camila Possa-Paranhos, Kerem Catalbas, Jared Butts, Kyle O'Berry, Patrick Sweeney
Summary: This article describes two easy-to-implement mouse models of stress-induced anorexia that capture core features associated with the disease. These models can be used in basic research labs to study the effects of psychological stress on feeding behavior in mice.