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Caltech Scientists Discover Neurons That Inhibit Appetite

Published on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 | 12:40 pm
 

Caltech Professor David Anderson has identified neurons in the brains of mice that control the animals’ appetite and eating behavior.

In the research, published recently in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Anderson and his team used optogenetics—a technique that uses light to control neural activity—to identify a subset of appetite-controlling neurons in a portion of a brain region called the amygdala (which is known to be important for processing emotional reactions). The neurons are located in the lateral subdivision of the amygdala’s central nucleus (CEI).

The mouse is first seen eating the food pellet; after the neurons are activated by light, the mouse is suddenly not interested in the food.   Credit: Anderson Lab/Caltech

Anderson and his team found that activating these specific neurons—simply by shining a light upon them—causes mice to abruptly stop eating their food.

Selective inhibition of the same neurons, in contrast, increases food intake.

Additional investigation revealed that neurons activated by signals like satiety, sickness, and unpalatable tastes—signals that normally inhibit feeding behavior—converge upon the identified neurons in the CEl. This suggests that the CEI neurons may act as a node in the signal relay pathway of appetite, delivering a “stop eating” message to other brain centers that normally promote feeding. These neurons may provide new targets for therapeutic interventions to treat obesity, anorexia or other disorders.

For more information or to speak with Professor Anderson, or to view the video, contact Judy Asbury at jasbury@caltech.edu or call (626) 676-7923.

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