A5000980555- Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Ion Transport and Channel Regulation
- Ion channel regulation and function
- Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2020-2024
Rockefeller University
2019-2024
Laboratory of Molecular Genetics
2023-2024
The Francis Crick Institute
2014-2019
Cornell University
2012
Significance A century ago, it was noted that damage to the lateral hypothalamic (LH) brain area caused people be motionless most of time. Therefore, is thought this emits essential signals for promoting physical activity. However, remained a mystery what these are. Using newly developed genetic and deep-brain recording methods, we found that, unexpectedly, critical signal movement comes from subset LH cells are molecularly distinct neurons previously implicated in locomotion control. These...
Abstract Brain signals that govern memory formation remain incompletely identified. The hypothalamus is implicated in disorders, but how its rapidly changing activity shapes memorization unknown. During encounters with objects, hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons emit brief reflect object novelty. Here we show targeted optogenetic silencing of these signals, performed selectively during the initial (i.e. acquisition), prevents future recognition objects. We identify an...
Leptin is an adipose tissue hormone that maintains homeostatic control of mass by regulating the activity specific neural populations controlling appetite and metabolism
Abstract The brain processes an array of stimuli, enabling the selection appropriate behavioural responses, but neural pathways linking interoceptive inputs to outputs for feeding are poorly understood 1–3 . Here we delineate a subcortical circuit in which brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-expressing neurons ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) directly connect motor centres, controlling food consumption and jaw movements. VMH BDNF neuron inhibition increases intake by gating sequences...
Abstract Leptin is an adipose tissue hormone that maintains homeostatic control of mass by regulating the activity specific neural populations controlling appetite and metabolism 1 . regulates food intake inhibiting orexigenic agouti-related protein (AGRP) neurons activating anorexigenic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) 2 However, while AGRP regulate on a rapid time scale, acute activation POMC has only minimal effect 3–5 This raised possibility there heretofore unidentified leptin-regulated...
Arousal and consciousness flexibly adjust to salient cues, but remain stable despite noise disturbance. Diverse, highly interconnected neural networks govern the underlying transitions of behavioral state; these are robust very complex. Frameworks from systems engineering provide powerful tools for understanding functional logic behind component complexity. From a general viewpoint, minimum three communicating control modules may enable flexibility stability coexist. Comparators would...
Abstract Electrical signals generated by molecularly-distinct classes of lateral hypothalamus (LH) neurons have distinct physiological consequences. For example, LH orexin promote net body energy expenditure, while non-orexin [VGAT, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH)] drive conservation. Appropriate switching between such physiologically-opposing outputs is traditionally thought to require cell-type-specific chemical modulation firing. However, it was recently found that, in vivo, the are...
Summary Memorizing encountered objects is fundamental for normal life, but the underlying natural brain activity remains poorly understood. The hypothalamus historically implicated in memory disorders, whether and how its endogenous real-time affects object memorization unknown. We found that upon self-initiated encounters, hypothalamic melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons emit dynamic, object-encounter-associated signals encoding novelty. Optosilencing of these signals, performed...
Abstract The brain processes an array of stimuli enabling the selection appropriate behavioural response but neural pathways linking interoceptive inputs to outputs for feeding are poorly understood. Here we delineate a subcortical circuit in which brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expressing neurons ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) directly connect motor centers controlling food consumption and jaw movements. VMH BDNF neuron inhibition increases intake by gating sequences through...