Neurons That Control Food Intake Discovered, Potential Obesity Treatment Insights

New York: A recent study has uncovered a previously unknown population of neurons in the hypothalamus that play a key role in regulating food intake, potentially paving the way for new obesity treatments. Published in Nature on Thursday, the research, led by scientists from Rockefeller University, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, New York University, and Stanford University, identifies these neurons as responsive to leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells that helps suppress hunger.

The hypothalamus has long been recognized for its role in controlling hunger, hormone regulation, stress responses, and body temperature. The new findings shed light on a specific group of neurons that respond to leptin, a key player in hunger regulation. These leptin-responsive neurons, located in the hypothalamus, were found to not only suppress appetite but also respond to sensory cues related to food, including taste and nutritional status.

In their experiments with mice, the researchers discovered that these neurons express both leptin receptors and the BNC2 gene. To further investigate their role, the team used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to deactivate the leptin receptor in these BNC2 neurons. As a result, the mice consumed more food and gained more weight compared to control mice. This experiment highlighted the critical role these neurons play in hunger control and weight regulation.

When the researchers introduced fluorescence to the BNC2 neurons, they observed an interesting reaction: when the mice were fed after fasting, these specific neurons were activated, while other known neurons in the hypothalamus did not respond. This suggests that these neurons play a unique and important role in responding to food cues.

“This discovery adds a crucial layer to our understanding of how the brain controls hunger and could serve as a potential target for future obesity treatments,” said Dr. Brian Herb, one of the study’s lead researchers. He emphasized that targeting these neurons, either to activate them or enhance their function, could lead to new therapies aimed at reducing appetite and promoting weight loss.

This breakthrough offers hope for the development of drugs that could specifically target these neurons, helping to tackle obesity by controlling food intake and hunger more effectively. Given the growing global obesity crisis, such research could have significant implications for improving public health outcomes in the future.