hypothalamus Research Articles

This shows a mouse and a diagram of a mouse brain

Unraveling the brain’s reward circuits

Neuroscience NewsJuly 4, 2019

Study reveals how ArGP and dopamine neurons are linked, and how food and drugs affect them differently. The findings offer clues for the development of new treatments for obesity and substance use disorders.... Read More...

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These neurons affect how much you do, or don’t, want to eat

Neuroscience NewsJune 25, 2019

Neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) appear to regulate food intake. The neurons appear to form part of a network that controls appetite loss in mice.... Read More...

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Researchers identify new hunger pathway in the brain

Neuroscience NewsJune 24, 2019

Newly identified network in the hypothalamus alters feeding behaviors on a shorter timescale. The pathway affects food intake and body weight by releasing GABA, which may occur due to the detection, and not the consumption of food.... Read More...

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Afraid of food? The answer may be in the basal forebrain

Neuroscience NewsJune 18, 2019

A set of neurons in the basal forebrain may drive aversions to certain foods. ... Read More...

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This shows the researcher next to a head made of clocks

Body parts respond to day and night independently from brain

Neuroscience NewsMay 30, 2019

Skin and liver cells appear to have their own circadian clock. Both the liver and skin respond to changes in light and maintain critical function, independent of the brain's circadian rhythm.... Read More...

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This shows pizza, burgers and other junk foods

Dietary fats entering the brain may explain link between obesity and depression: Mouse study

Neuroscience NewsMay 10, 2019

A mechanism that links exposure to high-fat diets in mice to changes in hypothalamic function which leads to depression has been identified. Saturated fatty acids enter the brain via the bloodstream, where they accumulate and affect key signaling pathways associated with the development of depression.... Read More...

FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology5 min read

This shows AAN activation in the supraoptic nucleus

General anesthesia hijacks sleep circuitry to knock you out

Neuroscience NewsApril 18, 2019

Study reveals anesthesia activated neurons have been discovered in the hypothalamus. Activation of AANs promotes slow-wave sleep, extending the effects of anesthesia, while inhibition of AANs shortens the duration of general anesthetics and disrupts natural sleep.... Read More...

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Had Enough Water? Brain’s Thirst Centers Make a Gut Check

Neuroscience NewsMarch 30, 2019

Hydration signals from the gut travel via the vagus nerve to activate thirst neurons in the SFO. These neurons signal to cells in the median preoptic nucleus, driving animals to drink and the kidneys to conserve water in the bloodstream.... Read More...

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Finding the Elusive Drinking ‘Brake’

Neuroscience NewsFebruary 22, 2019

Researchers have uncovered a mechanism in the BNST that senses the negative effects of alcohol and modulates the urge to drink. The study reports that when this mechanism doesn't function correctly, we lose the ability to recognize that we have had enough to drink. ... Read More...

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How Animals Remember and Find Their Way Back to Food Sources

Neuroscience NewsFebruary 18, 2019

Study reveals the hippocampus may overlay existing mental maps with information about reward and hazard derived from food found in specific locations.... Read More...

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