Hypothalamus News and Research

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The Hypothalamus is the area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst.

Maternal rhythms help to develop the suprachiasmatic nuclei’s “master clock”

According to a new study published May 24th, 2022, in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Alena Sumová and coworkers of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, genes within the fetus’s developing clock respond to rhythmic behavior in the mother during fetal development, first before the biological clock starts ticking on its own.

25 May 2022

Scientists decipher a direct dialog between the gut microbiota and the brain

Gut microbiota by-products circulate in the bloodstream, regulating host physiological processes including immunity, metabolism and brain functions.

From Institut Pasteur 18 Apr 2022

Hemoglobin plays role as a chemosensory signal for mother mice to protect offspring

Biochemists in Japan were surprised to discover that the molecule hemoglobin in the blood works not only as an oxygen carrier, but when the blood is spilled as a result of aggression, accident or predator attack, the molecule also acts as a chemosensory signal -; a chemical stimulus picked up by the senses, namely smell in this case -; for lactating mother mice, prompting digging or rearing behavior in them to check the surrounding environment and keep their offspring safe.

11 Feb 2022

Mice study shows how air pollution reduces sperm count by causing brain inflammation

Researchers have long known that air pollution can increase the risk of disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and fertility, but they did not know the exact mechanism for how it can lead to these health conditions.

26 Oct 2021

High fat diets lead to over-eating and obesity in rats by disturbing the body clock

When rats are fed a high fat diet, this disturbs the body clock in their brain that normally controls satiety, leading to over-eating and obesity. That's according to new research published in The Journal of Physiology.

7 Sep 2021

Tiny population of neurons may play a significant role in depression

A tiny population of neurons known to be important to appetite appear to also have a significant role in depression that results from unpredictable, chronic stress, scientists say.

12 Feb 2021

Hormone that suppresses food intake could help tackle obesity

A hormone that can suppress food intake and increase the feeling of fullness in mice has shown similar results in humans and non-human primates, says a new study published today in eLife.

25 Nov 2020

Study shows how fear and aggression are regulated

Our brains are wired to protect us from threats. For social animals like humans, threats often come from other members of our own species when there is conflict over food, mates, or territory.

30 Oct 2020

Researchers find genetic correlations between inflammatory bowel disease and stress, depression

Using sophisticated 3D genomic mapping and integrating with public data resulting from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have found significant genetic correlations between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and stress and depression.

30 Oct 2020

Genetic differences between domesticated and wild chickens linked to epigenetic changes

Some of the genetic differences that have arisen between domesticated chickens and their wild ancestors, the red junglefowl, are linked to epigenetic changes, according to a new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

22 Sep 2020

Study shows how DUSP8 protein regulates glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity

The brain plays a major role in controlling our blood glucose levels. In type 2 diabetics this glucose metabolism brain control is often dysfunctional. Genetic components for this phenomenon have so far remained elusive.

24 Aug 2020

Oxytocin can help control and prevent osteoporosis

Oxytocin, produced by the hypothalamus and sometimes known as the "love hormone" for its involvement in pair bonding and orgasm, can be a strong ally in the control and prevention of osteoporosis, according to a study by scientists at São Paulo State University in Brazil.

11 Aug 2020

Metabolic "switch" may offer clues to increased risk of glucose intolerance in post-menopausal women

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences have discovered neural mechanisms in mice specific to females that can shift estrogen from playing a protective role in glucose metabolism to one that is disruptive.

7 Aug 2020

Fat-burning neurons have previously unrecognized powers, study reveals

There's no doubt that you can lose fat by eating less or moving more--yet after decades of research, the biology underlying this equation remains mysterious.

23 Jul 2020

A mapping method to study different cell type changes in developing mouse brains

Penn State researchers have developed a new method for studying key moments in brain development. Yongsoo Kim, assistant professor of neural and behavioral sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, is using the method to understand how oxytocin receptor expression changes in normally developing mice and mouse models of autism spectrum disorder.

14 Jul 2020

Study identifies brain cells that control sugar intake and cravings

New research has identified the specific brain cells that control how much sugar you eat and how much you crave sweet tasting food.

13 Jul 2020

Single-cell-resolution technologies help map brain regions in humans and primates

Using the single-cell-resolution transcriptomics technologies, researchers have performed a large-scale analysis of gene expression in 33 different brain regions of chimpanzees, bonobos, macaques, and humans, and successfully generated a map of the various brain regions with their particular cell structures.

5 Jun 2020

Brain insulin sensitivity associated with body weight and fat distribution

Just where fat is deposited in the body and to what degree a person may benefit from a lifestyle intervention depends, among other things, on how sensitive the brain is to insulin.

27 Apr 2020

Specialized Nerve Cells Increase The Appetite For High-Fat Foods

Researchers have discovered that a group of nerve cells promotes the consumption of high-fat food.

24 Apr 2020