Publications by authors named "B C Lowell"

When food is freely available, eating occurs without energy deficit. While agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons are likely involved, their activation is thought to require negative energy balance. To investigate this, we implemented long-term, continuous in vivo fiber-photometry recordings in mice.

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Article Synopsis
  • Neuropeptides play a crucial role in brain functions related to feeding and behavior, but many details about their interactions in the awake brain remain unclear.
  • The study focuses on how specific neurons in the hypothalamus react to different neuropeptides to regulate eating and the feeling of fullness.
  • Results show that the release of hunger-related and satiety-related neuropeptides can either compete or cooperate to control important signaling pathways, helping to gradually promote feelings of fullness during meals.
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Astrocytes are multi-functional glial cells in the central nervous system that play critical roles in modulation of metabolism, extracellular ion and neurotransmitter levels, and synaptic plasticity. Astrocyte-derived signaling molecules mediate many of these modulatory functions of astrocytes, including vesicular release of ATP. In the present study, we used a unique genetic mouse model to investigate the functional significance of astrocytic exocytosis of ATP.

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The "dorsal pons", or "dorsal pontine tegmentum" (dPnTg), is part of the brainstem. It is a complex, densely packed region whose nuclei are involved in regulating many vital functions. Notable among them are the parabrachial nucleus, the Kölliker Fuse, the Barrington nucleus, the locus coeruleus, and the dorsal, laterodorsal, and ventral tegmental nuclei.

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The "dorsal pons", or "dorsal pontine tegmentum" (dPnTg), is part of the brainstem. It is a complex, densely packed region whose nuclei are involved in regulating many vital functions. Notable among them are the parabrachial nucleus, the Kölliker Fuse, the Barrington nucleus, the locus coeruleus, and the dorsal, laterodorsal, and ventral tegmental nuclei.

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