Toggling between food-seeking and self-preservation behaviors via hypothalamic response networks.

Neuron

Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address:

Published: September 2023

Motivated behaviors are often studied in isolation to assess labeled lines of neural connections underlying innate actions. However, in nature, multiple systems compete for expression of goal-directed behaviors via complex neural networks. Here, we examined flexible survival decisions in animals tasked with food seeking under predation threat. We found that predator exposure rapidly induced physiological, neuronal, and behavioral adaptations in mice highlighted by reduced food seeking and consumption contingent on current threat level. Diminishing conflict via internal state or external environment perturbations shifted feeding strategies. Predator introduction and/or selective manipulation of danger-responsive cholecystokinin (Cck) cells of the dorsal premammilary nucleus (PMd) suppressed hunger-sensitive Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons, providing a mechanism for threat-evoked hypophagia. Increased caloric need enhanced food seeking under duress through AgRP pathways to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and/or lateral hypothalamus (LH). Our results suggest oscillating interactions between systems underlying self-preservation and food seeking to promote optimal behavior.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10528369PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2023.06.006DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

food seeking
16
toggling food-seeking
4
food-seeking self-preservation
4
self-preservation behaviors
4
behaviors hypothalamic
4
hypothalamic response
4
response networks
4
networks motivated
4
motivated behaviors
4
behaviors studied
4

Similar Publications

Objective: The public health nutrition workforce is well-placed to contribute to bold climate action, however tertiary educators are seeking practical examples of how to adequately prepare our future workforce. This study examines the responses of university students engaged in a co-designed planetary health education workshop as part of their public health nutrition training.

Design: A mixed-methods approach was used to collect and interpret student responses to four interactive tasks facilitated during an in-person workshop.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), a synthetic progestogen, is extensively used for the treatment of various conditions, including contraception, irregular menstruation, functional uterine bleeding, and endometriosis. However, like all pharmaceutical agents, MPA is associated with adverse drug reactions. This study aimed to evaluate the adverse events (AEs) associated with MPA in by analyzing real-world data from the U.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Medical therapy to treat obesity and optimize fertility in women of reproductive age: a narrative review.

Reprod Biol Endocrinol

January 2025

Departments of Internal Medicine and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, 330 Cedar St, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.

Background: Overweight and obesity-chronic illnesses in which an increase in body fat promotes adipose tissue dysfunction and abnormal fat mass resulting in adverse metabolic, biomechanical, and psychosocial health consequences-negatively impact female fertility. Adverse conception outcomes are multifactorial, ranging from poor oocyte quality and implantation issues to miscarriages and fetal health issues. However, with the advent of novel pharmacologic agents, significant weight loss can be achieved, improving the chances of healthy pregnancies, and their use should be considered during periconceptual counseling.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The increasing demand for protein-rich, plant-based foods has driven the development of meat analogs that closely mimic the texture and mouthfeel of animal meat. While plant-based fibrils and electrospun silk fibroin fibers have been explored for texture enhancement and scaffolding in both meat analogs and cell-based meats, the use of wet-spun fibroin protein fibers as a food ingredient remains underexplored. This study investigates the potential of wet-spun recombinant fibroin fibers to enhance the textural properties of meat analogs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Impact of Chronic Temporomandibular Disorders on Fatigue and Daily Life: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study.

JDR Clin Trans Res

January 2025

Division of Oral Health and Society, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Introduction: Chronic temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) affect a notable portion of the population, with a prevalence of 5% to 12%. These conditions often lead individuals to adopt a soft-food diet to manage pain, but such dietary adjustments can inadvertently cause nutritional deficiencies. This issue may be compounded by medications used to manage TMD symptoms, which can contribute to fatigue and reduced daily functioning.

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!