hypothalamus – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Glucose ‘control switch’ in the brain key to both types of diabetes

By Guest PostAugust 14, 2014Healthabusir el meleq, current rate, enzyme, erbgut von mumien, glucose, hypothalamus, insulin, jenny roberts, nil in mittelaegypten, pieces of tangier, sabrina diano, sinking tangier island, structures, type 2 diabetes

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have pinpointed a mechanism in part of the brain that is key to sensing glucose levels in the blood, linking it to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The findings are published in the July 28 issue of Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

“We’ve discovered that the prolyl endopeptidase enzyme — located in a part of the hypothalamus known as the ventromedial nucleus — sets a series of steps in motion that control glucose levels in the blood,” said lead author Sabrina Diano, professor in the Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, Comparative Medicine, and Neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine. “Our findings could eventually lead to new treatments for diabetes.” (more…)

Leptin also influences brain cells that control appetite, Yale researchers find

By Guest PostJune 3, 2014Sciencebrain cells, desi project, galaxy seeking robots, hypothalamus, illuminated fiducials, influence, isoscapes, leptin, neurons, paradigm, parker fagrelius, protodesi, signals, tamas horvath

Twenty years after the hormone leptin was found to regulate metabolism, appetite, and weight through brain cells called neurons, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that the hormone also acts on other types of cells to control appetite.

Published in the June 1 issue of Nature Neuroscience, the findings could lead to development of treatments for metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. (more…)

What Causes Hot Flushes during Menopause?

By Guest PostDecember 15, 2012Healthanimal model, biological mechanisms, black box, blood vessel, brain, brain cells, candy, central nervous system, estrogen replacement therapy, heat, hormone estrogen, hormone signals, hormone treatment, hot flashes, hot flushes, hypothalamus, in the head, kndy neurons, melinda mittelman smith, menopause, naomi rance, nathaniel mcmullen, neuronal switch, neurotransmitter, prostate cancer, sally krajewski hall, skin, skin temperature, tail skin temperature, thermoregulation, thermoregulatory centers, trigger, vasodilation, vital functions

Hot flushes are not “in the head,” but new research suggests they may start there. A UA research team has identified a region in the brain that may trigger the uncomfortable surges of heat most women experience in the first few years of menopause.

Hot flushes – also called hot flashes – affect millions of people, and not just women. Yet, it is still unclear what causes the episodes of temperature discomfort, often accompanied by profuse sweating.

Now a team of researchers around Dr. Naomi Rance, a professor in the department of pathology at the UA College of Medicine, has come closer to understanding the mechanism of hot flushes, a necessary step for potential treatment options down the road. This research was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

Neurons that Control Overeating also Drive Appetite for Cocaine

By Guest PostJune 25, 2012Scienceappetite, behavior, body, brain, brain function, cocaine, cognitive behavior, diabetes, diphtheria toxin, drug addiction, Environment, function, hypothalamus, jeremy bober, jozelia g ferreira, marcelo o dietrich, metabolic disorder, neurons, obesity, overeating, tamas l horvath, transgenic mice

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have zeroed in on a set of neurons in the part of the brain that controls hunger, and found that these neurons are not only associated with overeating, but also linked to non-food associated behaviors, like novelty-seeking and drug addiction.

Published in the June 24 online issue of Nature Neuroscience, the study was led by Marcelo O. Dietrich, postdoctoral associate, and Tamas L. Horvath, the Jean and David W. Wallace Professor of Biomedical Research and chair of comparative medicine at Yale School of Medicine.

In attempts to develop treatments for metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes, researchers have paid increasing attention to the brain’s reward circuits located in the midbrain, with the notion that in these patients, food may become a type of “drug of abuse” similar to cocaine. Dietrich notes, however, that this study flips the common wisdom on its head. (more…)

Loss of Appetite Deciphered in Brain Cell Circuit

By Guest PostMarch 14, 2012Scienceanorexia nervosa, body, brain, brain development, cancer chemotherapy, excitatory signal, experimental result, food aversions, function, gaba, glutamate, hypothalamus, loss of appetite, meal, mice, michael s clark, michael schwartz, nausea, nerve cells, nucleus tractus solitarus, parabrachial nucleus, point of emaciation, qi wu, ralph brinster, receptor, richard d palmiter, starvation, substance, transgenic mice, university of pennsylvania, university of washington

The meal is pushed way, untouched. Loss of appetite can be a fleeting queasiness or continue to the point of emaciation. While it’s felt in the gut, more is going on inside the head.

New findings are emerging about brain and body messaging pathways that lead to loss of appetite, and the systems in place to avoid starvation. (more…)

Molecular Duo Dictate Weight and Energy Levels, Yale Researchers Find

By Guest PostFebruary 29, 2012Scienceanthony van den pol, bill hathaway, brain control, cells, cellular mechanism, energy, energy balance, hypothalamic neurons, hypothalamus, journal of neuroscience, mch, melanin concentrating hormone, nervous system, neurons, neurotransmitter, thyrotropin releasing hormone, trh, xiaobing zhang, yale university

Yale University researchers have discovered a key cellular mechanism that may help the brain control how much we eat, what we weigh, and how much energy we have.

The findings, published in the Feb. 28 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, describe the regulation of a family of cells that project throughout the nervous system and originate in an area of the brain call the hypothalamus, which has been long known to control energy balances. (more…)

To Ditch Dessert, Feed the Brain

By Guest PostSeptember 22, 2011Sciencebrain, brain imaging scans, fmri scans, glucose, glucose levels, high calorie food, hypothalamus, kathleen page, low calorie food, prefrontal cortex, rajita sinha, regulating impulses, striatum, twinkies, yale university

If the brain goes hungry, Twinkies look a lot better, a study led by researchers at Yale University and the University of Southern California has found.

Brain imaging scans show that when glucose levels drop, an area of the brain known to regulate emotions and impulses loses the ability to dampen desire for high-calorie food, according to the study published online September 19 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. (more…)

Free Radicals Crucial To Suppressing Appetite

By Guest PostAugust 30, 2011Health, Sciencebrain and periphery, brain circuits, cellular mechanism, erika gyengesi, esther kim, free radical, free radical levels, free radicals damage cells, glucose, hormone leptin, hunger and satiety, hypothalamus, leptin resistance, melanocortin neurons, neurons, obesity, overeating, peroxisomes, peroxisomes protects, sabrina diano, tamas horvath, worldwide, yale school of medicine, zhong wu liu

Obesity is growing at alarming rates worldwide, and the biggest culprit is overeating. In a study of brain circuits that control hunger and satiety, Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that molecular mechanisms controlling free radicals-molecules tied to aging and tissue damage-are at the heart of increased appetite in diet-induced obesity.

Published Aug. 28 in the advanced online issue of Nature Medicine, the study found that elevating free radical levels in the hypothalamus directly or indirectly suppresses appetite in obese mice by activating satiety-promoting melanocortin neurons. Free radicals, however, are also thought to drive the aging process. (more…)

Tag Archives: hypothalamus