饱腹感和食欲一样重要,近日发表在Science Advances杂志上的一项研究中,贝勒医学院(Baylor College of Medicine)的研究人员发现,一种鲜为人知的大脑神经回路有助于精确调节食物摄入量。由一组多巴胺生成神经元DA-VTA与后脑下游神经元DRD1-LPBN连接起来构成的神经回路,通过触发小鼠饱腹感可以强效抑制食物摄入。他们还发现,可以通过药物哌甲酯(methylphenidate,MPH)激活这一特殊回路,可能有助于人们控制体重,从而达到明显的减肥效果。MPH之前被美国FDA批准用于缓解注意缺陷障碍。
参考资料:
[1] Han, et al., (2021) A hindbrain dopaminergic neural circuit prevents weight gain by reinforcing food satiation. Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf8719
[2] This brain circuit signals when to stop eating; could regulating it help with obesity. Retrieved May 26, 2021, from
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-05-brain-circuit-obesity.html