Neurons in Hypothalamus Can Suppress Food Intake: Study Finds - Video

In a study published in the issue of Nature, a team of researchers discovered a new population of neurons that is responsive to the hormone leptin.

"We've long known that the hypothalamus, located deep in the brain, plays a role in hunger, hormone levels, stress responses, and body temperature," said Brian Herb, PhD, a scientist at IGS and a Research Associate of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Drug Development at UMSOM.

"Since our earlier research showed that unique regulatory programs in genes give rise to specialized neuronal populations -- it makes sense that this new research discovered a previously unknown set of neurons that regulate energy and food intake," Dr. Herb added

Through several experiments with mice, the researchers found that this previously unknown neuronal population that express both receptors for leptin and the BNC2 gene not only helps suppress hunger, but also responds to food-related sensory cues, such as food palatability and nutritional status.

Those mice ate more and gained more weight than control mice.

In addition, researchers added fluorescence to the BNC2 neurons and noticed when they fed mice after fasting, the BCN2 neurons activated, whereas previously known neuronal populations in the hypothalamus did not react.

BNC2 neurons in the hypothalamus, which are activated by the hunger hormone leptin, provide the potential for a completely new class of obesity drugs," said Mark T. Gladwin, MD, who is the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of UMSOM, and Vice President for Medical Affairs at University of Maryland, Baltimore. "These drugs would be distinct from Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists, which stimulate insulin secretion. Leptin-targeting drugs could be beneficial for those who can't tolerate GLP-agonists due to gastrointestinal side effects like nausea and stomach upset."

Reference: https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/news/2024/researchers-discover-new-neurons-that-suppress-food-intake.html