Regulation of feeding by somatostatin neurons in the tuberal nucleus

SX Luo, J Huang, Q Li, H Mohammad, CY Lee… - Science, 2018 - science.org
SX Luo, J Huang, Q Li, H Mohammad, CY Lee, K Krishna, AMY Kok, YL Tan, JY Lim, H Li
Science, 2018science.org
The tuberal nucleus (TN) is a surprisingly understudied brain region. We found that
somatostatin (SST) neurons in the TN, which is known to exhibit pathological or cytological
changes in human neurodegenerative diseases, play a crucial role in regulating feeding in
mice. GABAergic tuberal SST (TNSST) neurons were activated by hunger and by the hunger
hormone, ghrelin. Activation of TNSST neurons promoted feeding, whereas inhibition
reduced it via projections to the paraventricular nucleus and bed nucleus of the stria …
The tuberal nucleus (TN) is a surprisingly understudied brain region. We found that somatostatin (SST) neurons in the TN, which is known to exhibit pathological or cytological changes in human neurodegenerative diseases, play a crucial role in regulating feeding in mice. GABAergic tuberal SST (TNSST) neurons were activated by hunger and by the hunger hormone, ghrelin. Activation of TNSST neurons promoted feeding, whereas inhibition reduced it via projections to the paraventricular nucleus and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Ablation of TNSST neurons reduced body weight gain and food intake. These findings reveal a previously unknown mechanism of feeding regulation that operates through orexigenic TNSST neurons, providing a new perspective for understanding appetite changes.
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