Animals must respond to the ingestion of food by generating adaptive behaviors, but the role of gut-brain signaling in behavioral regulation is poorly understood. Here, we identify conserved ion channels in an enteric serotonergic neuron that mediate its responses to food ingestion and decipher how these responses drive changes in foraging behavior. We show that the C. elegans serotonergic neuron NSM acts as an enteric sensory neuron that acutely detects food ingestion. We identify the novel and conserved acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) DEL-7 and DEL-3 as NSM-enriched channels required for feeding-dependent NSM activity, which in turn drives slow locomotion while animals feed. Point mutations that alter the DEL-7 channel change NSM dynamics and associated behavioral dynamics of the organism. This study provides causal links between food ingestion, molecular and physiological properties of an enteric serotonergic neuron, and adaptive feeding behaviors, yielding a new view of how enteric neurons control behavior.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6526957PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2018.11.023DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

serotonergic neuron
16
enteric serotonergic
12
food ingestion
12
ion channels
8
food
5
enteric
5
neuron
5
asics mediate
4
mediate food
4
food responses
4

Similar Publications

The serotonergic raphe magnus (RMg) and dorsal raphe (DR) nuclei are crucial pain-regulating structures, which nociceptive activity is shown to be altered in gut pathology, but the underlying neuroplastic changes remain unclear. Considering the importance of 5-HT1A receptors in modulating both pain and raphe neuronal activity, in this study, we aimed to determine whether 5-HT1A-dependent visceral and somatic nociceptive processing within the RMg and DR is modified in postcolitis conditions. In anaesthetised male Wistar rats, healthy control and recovered from TNBS-induced colitis, the microelectrode recordings of RMg and DR neuron responses to noxious colorectal distension (CRD) or tail squeezing (TS) were performed prior and after intravenous administration of 5-HT1A agonist, buspirone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Effect of antidepressants and social defeat stress on the activity of dorsal raphe serotonin neurons in free-moving animals.

J Pharmacol Sci

February 2025

Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida-Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan; Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871, Japan; Project for Neural Networks, Drug Innovation Center, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871, Japan. Electronic address:

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is among the most common mental disorders worldwide and is characterized by dysregulated reward processing associated with anhedonia. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the first-line treatment for MDD; however, their onset of action is delayed. Recent reports have shown that serotonin neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) are activated by rewards and play a vital role in reward processing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Behavioral and molecular neurotoxicity of thermally degraded polystyrene in Caenorhabditis elegans.

J Hazard Mater

January 2025

Institute for Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China. Electronic address:

Microplastics are pervasive environmental contaminants found across diverse ecosystems, inducing toxic effects in a wide range of organisms. However, the neurotoxic effects of thermally degraded polystyrene (T-PS) and its underlying mechanisms remain poorly unexplored. In this study, Caenorhabditis elegans was exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of T-PS (0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Non-image forming (NIF) pathways, a specialized branch of retinal circuitry, play a crucial role supporting physiological and behavioral processes, including circadian rhythmicity. Among the NIF regions, the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), a midbrain serotonergic cluster of neurons, is also devoted to circadian functions. Despite indirectly send photic inputs to circadian centers and modulating their activities, little is known about the organization of retina-DRN circuits in primate species.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aims: The enteric nervous system independently controls gastrointestinal function including motility, which is primarily mediated by the myenteric plexus, therefore also playing a crucial role in functional intestinal disorders. Live recordings from human myenteric neurons proved to be challenging due to technical difficulties. Using the neuroimaging technique, we are able to record human colonic myenteric neuronal activity and investigate their functional properties in a large cohort of patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!