Credit score: Metabolism (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2024.156099
If you find yourself feeling hungry, the mind takes the mandatory steps towards consuming a meal. Many of those steps are usually not well-known, however a brand new examine revealed within the journal Metabolism by researchers at Baylor Faculty of Medication and the College of Texas Well being Science Heart at Houston reveals mind circuits and chemical messengers that contribute to the regulation of meal initiation and meals consumption. The findings have implications for the event of improved therapies to handle weight problems, a worldwide epidemic.
“It’s well known that serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain, can suppress food intake. This finding led to the development of drugs that interact with serotonin or its receptors to regulate food consumption and obesity,” stated corresponding writer Dr. Yong Xu, professor of pediatrics—vitamin and affiliate director of primary sciences on the USDA/ARS Youngsters’s Vitamin Analysis Heart at Baylor.
“However, some of these drugs have unwanted side effects, and they are no longer offered to patients. There is a need to better understand how the brain regulates food intake to improve drug design.”
The Xu lab and colleagues have been finding out the function of serotonin in feeding management for fairly a very long time. On this examine, they centered on a little-known element of the serotonin regulation of meals consumption. They regarded for mind circuits and neurotransmitters that regulate the exercise of serotonin-producing neurons, activating or inhibiting them on the applicable intervals to succeed in balanced meals consumption. “We asked, how can we leverage this system to regulate feeding?” Xu stated.
Serotonin is primarily synthesized by neurons within the dorsal Raphe nucleus (DRN) within the midbrain. Serotonin neurons within the DRN challenge to quite a few mind areas, together with the arcuate of the hypothalamus (ARH). The crew confirmed that the ARH circuit and two neurotransmitters, GABA and dopamine, play a key function in meal initiation.
“Working with animal models, we found that when the animals are hungry, serotonin-producing neurons in the DRN are inhibited by GABA and dopamine. This reduces the levels of serotonin in the brain, which allows the initiation of a meal,” Xu defined. “As the animals feed and reach satiety, the inhibitory signals on serotonin neurons are reduced and more serotonin is produced to inhibit feeding via projections to the ARH.”
“What’s unique about this is that GABA and dopamine act synergistically—when both are present, serotonin neurons appear to be more inhibited than when only one of the neurotransmitters is present,” Xu stated.
This work is vital as a result of it improves our understanding of how the mind manages physique weight and feeding, particularly the roles of neurotransmitters in a particular section of feeding habits, meal initiation. This information can inform the event of improved weight problems medicine.
“Looking forward, we are interested in identifying signals that regulate the other phases of feeding,” Xu stated.
Extra info:
Kristine M. Conde et al, Serotonin neurons combine GABA and dopamine inputs to control meal initiation, Metabolism (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2024.156099
Supplied by
Baylor Faculty of Medication
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Examine reveals mind’s function in beginning meals by means of GABA, dopamine (2024, December 20)
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