In males, sun exposure activates the p53 protein which signals to the body to produce the appetite-associated ghrelin hormone. In women, estrogen blocks the interaction between p53 and ghrelin, reducing the urge to eat following sun exposure.
Higher levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin predict a greater preference for smaller, immediate financial rewards over larger, delayed financial rewards.
Parkinson's patients have reduced acylated-ghrelin to unacylated-ghrelin ratios in their blood. Lower levels of unacylated-ghrelin have been associated with a reduced ability to generate new neurons and memory impairments.
The hunger hormone ghrelin doesn't just influence where and when animals eat, it also appears to have an impact on memory. Disrupting signaling of ghrelin to the vagus nerve caused rats to forget they had just eaten, even though the animals remembered they had just had access to food. Findings suggest disrupted ghrelin signaling could negatively impact episodic memory.
The risk of developing PTSD was eight times higher in teens who experienced traumatic events and had elevated acyl-ghrelin levels than trauma-exposed teens with lower levels of the hormone.
A study that used postmortem brain tissue samples from Alzheimer's patients and mouse models found the hunger hormone ghrelin is linked to cognitive impairments and memory loss associated with the disease.
Utilizing mealtime strategies, such as intermittent fasting or early eating, can help improve fat burning and reduce appetite. Those who practice early eating restricted feeding strategies had lower levels of ghrelin and improved fat burning.
Researchers have identified neurons in the guts of C. elegans that detect when bacteria are ingested and release a neurotransmitter that signals the brain to halt locomotion.
Researchers discover activity in brain regions involved in reward response from dopamine was higher in subjects injected with the hormone ghrelin, but only when responding to images associated with food smells. The study reports ghrelin controls the extent to which the brain associates reward with food odors.
Researchers debate the roles of the gut and brain hormones play in regulating appetite and metabolism.
Researchers have identified a signaling pathway that appears to be responsible for hunger. Targeting the pathway, researchers say, could be key to finding new treatments to curb obesity.
A new neuroimaging study found those who achieved greater success at losing weight showed increased activation in regions of the lateral prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with self control.
