Researchers from the lab of Richard Simerly have uncovered the first example of activity-dependent development of hypothalamic neural circuitry. The work also suggests a novel role for the hunger hormone leptin in specifying the development of neural circuits involved in autonomic regulation and food intake.
Researchers from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences have uncovered the first example of activity-dependent development of hypothalamic neural circuitry. Although previous research has shown that the hormone leptin acts directly on hunger neurons through leptin receptors to promote the development of neural circuitry, results that will be published inon Nov. 25 indicate that certain neurons that do not express leptin receptors are nonetheless sensitive to its activity.
The development of the neural circuits that link the hypothalamus and brainstem are dependent on the activity of leptin-sensing AgRP neurons during a postnatal, critical period of hypothalamic development. "The possibility that neural circuits that control something as fundamental as energy balance are sensitive to activity alone during key periods of development suggests that there may be a wide variety of factors impacting hypothalamic development through this mechanism," Simerly said.
Nervous System Obesity Sports Medicine Brain-Computer Interfaces Intelligence Child Development Perception
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