Tag

Hypothalamus

All articles tagged with #hypothalamus

science12 hours ago•5 min saved

Orexin Neurons Tie Reward Expectation to Motivated Action in Rats

A Nagoya University–led study publishing in PNAS shows orexin-producing neurons in the hypothalamus regulate moment‑to‑moment food‑reward motivation in rats: activating these neurons makes animals work harder for food, while inhibiting them reduces motivation, suggesting orexin links reward prediction to sustained action and may inform understanding of human motivation and related disorders, though translation to humans remains to be clarified.

via ScienceAlert|

#hypothalamus #motivation #neuroscience

science24 days ago•6 min saved

Metformin’s Brain Link: New Pathway Behind a 60-Year-Old Diabetes Drug

A Science Advances study in mice shows metformin lowers glucose via brain Rap1 signaling in the ventromedial hypothalamus, not just liver or gut; deleting Rap1 in this brain region abolishes metformin’s effect, while direct brain administration also lowers glucose, suggesting brain-targeted mechanisms could unlock new diabetes therapies and possibly aging benefits.

via ScienceAlert|

#brain #diabetes #hypothalamus

science29 days ago•13 min saved

Metformin’s Brain Action Unveiled: Lowering Blood Sugar via RAP1 in the Hypothalamus

Scientists have found that metformin not only acts in the liver and gut but also operates in the brain, where it suppresses the RAP1 protein in a hypothalamic region to activate glucose-lowering neurons, potentially enabling brain-targeted diabetes therapies at very low doses.

via Daily Kos|

#brain #glucose #hypothalamus

science2 months ago•8 min saved

Histamine Waves Gate Real-Time Memory Access

New work in mice shows slow fluctuations in hypothalamic histamine neurons act as a real-time priming gate for memory retrieval: high histamine before a cue enhances memory expression by stabilizing the basolateral amygdala’s memory pattern, while low histamine reduces retrieval. Optogenetic manipulation confirms causality, and the findings support a priming-state model where internal brain states—not erased traces—govern moment-to-moment memory access, with potential implications for aging and dementia.

via Neuroscience News|

#basolateral-amygdala #histamine #hypothalamus

science2 months ago•7 min saved

Garlic-Derived Compound May Enhance Muscle Health by Fat-Brain Signaling

Scientists in Japan identified S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine (S1PC) in aged garlic extract that activates liver kinase B1 (LKB1) and promotes adipose-derived eNAMPT secretion; the eNAMPT-containing vesicles travel to the hypothalamus to boost sympathetic signaling and improve muscle function, with aged mice showing reduced frailty and stronger muscles and human data showing higher eNAMPT levels on S1PC, suggesting a potential safe nutraceutical to counter age-related muscle decline—pending further study.

via SciTechDaily|

#aged-garlic-extract #enampt #hypothalamus

science3 months ago•7 min saved

Brain aging switch: Menin loss reversed in mice

Researchers found that aging-linked decline of the brain protein Menin in the ventromedial hypothalamus triggers inflammation, memory and physical aging signs in mice. Restoring Menin reversed several aging features, and dietary D-serine supplementation improved cognition in older mice, suggesting a brain-centered mechanism for aging with potential human relevance—but no human trials yet and safety remains uncertain.

via ScienceDaily|

#aging #cognition #d-serine

science3 months ago•8 min saved

Hidden Sleep Switch Links Deep Slumber to Growth Hormone and Wakefulness

UC Berkeley researchers mapped brain circuits that regulate growth hormone release during sleep and discovered a feedback loop with the locus coeruleus that balances sleep and wakefulness, linking deep sleep to metabolism and cognition and offering new targets for treating sleep-related metabolic and neurodegenerative conditions.

via SciTechDaily|

#growth-hormone #hypothalamus #locus-coeruleus

science4 months ago•7 min saved

New Brain Mechanism Reveals How Metformin Lowers Blood Sugar

Scientists discovered that metformin lowers blood sugar not only via the liver and gut but also by acting in the brain. In mice, metformin inhibits Rap1 in the ventromedial hypothalamus, activating SF1 neurons and reducing glucose; surprisingly small brain doses produced effects, and removing Rap1 from VMH abolished metformin’s action, illustrating a distinct brain pathway that could enable lower-dose, brain-targeted diabetes therapies in the future.

via SciTechDaily|

#brain #diabetes #hypothalamus

science5 months ago•6 min saved

Metformin’s brain pathway unlocked: Rap1 in the hypothalamus drives glucose control

Scientists reveal metformin lowers blood sugar by acting in the brain, specifically by suppressing Rap1 in the ventromedial hypothalamus and activating SF1 neurons, with brain effects at far lower drug levels than previously thought, opening possibilities for brain-targeted diabetes therapies and potential brain-health benefits.

via ScienceDaily|

#brain #glucose #hypothalamus

health5 months ago•4 min saved

Old Diabetes Drug Metformin Shows Brain-Led Control of Metabolism

New preclinical work links metformin’s metabolic effects to the brain, showing it acts in the hypothalamus via the Rap1 pathway to enhance central insulin signaling and reduce liver glucose production in mice. This brain-first mechanism could reshape diabetes and obesity therapies, informing drug combinations and trial endpoints, but human validation is needed and questions remain about dosing, blood–brain barrier crossing, and interactions with AMPK.

via Iowa Park Leader|

#brain-metabolism #diabetes #health

science5 months ago•4 min saved

Snake-Derived pTOS Points to New Appetite-Control Path

Researchers found that after meals ball pythons exhibit a 1000-fold rise in pTOS, a gut-bacteria–derived metabolite. In mice, high doses of pTOS reduced appetite and caused weight loss without typical GLP-1 drug side effects, likely by activating neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus. While promising, translating this to humans is still early, and the study in Nature Metabolism notes many more metabolites to explore.

via ScienceAlert|

#appetite-suppression #gut-microbiome #hypothalamus

science5 months ago•2 min saved

Snake metabolite pTOS hints at a new appetite-control drug path

Researchers identified pTOS, a metabolite produced by python gut bacteria that surges after a meal (more than 1,000-fold); when given to obese mice, it suppressed appetite, leading to about 9% body weight loss over 28 days, without notable changes in energy expenditure or organ size. Unlike GLP-1 drugs that slow gastric emptying, pTOS appears to act on the hypothalamus to regulate hunger. The molecule also exists at low levels in human urine, suggesting potential safety, though clinical applicability requires more research; the findings were published in Nature Metabolism.

via The Guardian|

#appetite-regulation #gut-microbiome #hypothalamus

science6 months ago•6 min saved

Childhood Junk Food Rewires Appetite Center, Gut Bacteria Offer Reset

In a mouse study, early-life exposure to a high-fat, high-sugar diet permanently shifts hypothalamic appetite pathways and adult feeding behavior even after weight normalizes; however, interventions targeting the gut microbiome—probiotic Bifidobacterium longum APC1472 or prebiotic fibers FOS/GOS—can restore brain–gut signaling and mitigate these long-term effects, with some sex-specific vulnerabilities observed.

via Neuroscience News|

#childhood-diet #gut-microbiome #hypothalamus

science11 months ago•3 min saved

Metformin's Hidden Brain Pathway Discovered After Six Decades

Researchers have discovered that metformin, a common diabetes drug, also acts in the brain, specifically in the ventromedial hypothalamus, by turning off the protein Rap1, which is essential for its blood sugar-lowering effects. This finding suggests new avenues for more targeted diabetes treatments and highlights the brain's role in metformin's mechanism of action.

via ScienceDaily|

#brain-pathway #diabetes #hypothalamus

science11 months ago•4 min saved

New Research Unveils Sleep's Role in Muscle Growth, Fat Loss, and Brain Function

A UC Berkeley study uncovers a neural feedback mechanism controlling growth hormone release during sleep, revealing how sleep quality influences muscle growth, fat burning, and brain function, with potential implications for treating sleep and metabolic disorders.

via ScienceDaily|

#growth-hormone #hypothalamus #metabolic-health