Registration
MEDNEWS

A new approach in the treatment of overeating

A new approach in the treatment of overeating

Neurologists have proposed a new approach in the treatment of overeating


Topics: Nutrition, Research, Genetics


Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have identified an entirely new neural circuit that can cause satiety. It was also found that an already approved drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects the same circuit, writes New Atlas.

So, the specified circuit connects two different sets of neurons. One of them releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is commonly associated with feelings of pleasure and motivation. While the mice ate, the scientists watched the activity of these two sets of neurons. It turned out that the DA-VTA neurons, which are responsible for the production of dopamine, increased their activity just before the rodents stopped eating. In subsequent experiments, scientists at the gene level inhibited the activity of DA-VTA neurons. As a result, the animals began to overeat heavily.

Similar experiments, focused on a second set of DRD1-LPBN neurons, which receive signals from DA-VTA neurons, showed that an increase in their activity induces a sustained satiety response - the mice immediately stopped eating. Thus, by acting on these two components of the nervous chain, it is possible to induce a feeling of satiety.