No more binge eating: Signal pathway in the brain that controls food intake discovered

A group of researchers have come up with a new approach to treating eating disorders. The excitability of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex is controlled by a group of nerve cells in the hypothalamus. The production of lysophosphatidic acid in the brain is a function of the signalling pathway being controlled by the autotaxin. In animal models, the administration of autotaxin inhibitor can reduce excessive food intake. Nature Metabolism has published the article "AgRP neurons control food intake behaviour at cortical synapses via peripherally-derived lysophospholipids"

Cardiovascular diseases with permanent disabilities or fatal outcomes such as heart attacks, diabetes, or strokes are some of the most common causes of eating disorders. In Germany, 67 percent of men and 53 percent of women are overweight according to a report by the Robert Koch Institute. More than one third of adults are overweight. The attempts to change eating behavior with medication have been unsuccessful. A therapy that changes the excitability of networks that control eating behavior would be a decisive step towards controlling this widespread Obesity.

The research team found that people with impaired synaptic LPA signalling were more likely to be obese. Professor Robert Nitsch and Professor Thomas Horvath are professors at the University of Mnster and theYale School of Medicine respectively. Increased food intake is a result of synaptic LPA signals.

After a period of fasting, an increase in LPC in the blood led to an increase in activity in the brain. The mice were food seeking. The autotaxin inhibitors could be used to normalized them. Obese mice lost weight when they were given these drugs. The reduction in excessive food intake and Obesity was achieved through the use of genes and drugs. Our findings on the excitability of the brain, which we have worked on for a long time, play a central role for eating behavior. The data shows that people with a disturbed synaptic LPA signalling pathway are more likely to be overweight. We are currently developing with the Hans Knll Institute in Jena for use in humans, and this is an indication of a possible therapeutic success.

The new therapeutic possibilities they suggest could be used in the future to treat eating disorders, as well as neurological and psychiatric illnesses, are the result of these findings.

There is a story

The University of Cologne provides materials. The content can be edited for style and length.

There is a journal reference.

1. Heiko Endle, Guilherme Horta, Bernardo Stutz, Muthuraman Muthuraman, Irmgard Tegeder, Yannick Schreiber, Isabel Faria Snodgrass, Robert Gurke, Zhong-Wu Liu, Matija Sestan-Pesa, Konstantin Radyushkin, Nora Streu, Wei Fan, Jan Baumgart, Yan Li, Florian Kloss, Sergiu Groppa, Nils Opel, Udo Dannlowski, Hans J. Grabe, Frauke Zipp, Bence Rácz, Tamas L. Horvath, Robert Nitsch, Johannes Vogt. AgRP neurons control feeding behaviour at cortical synapses via peripherally derived lysophospholipids. Nature Metabolism, 2022; 4 (6): 683 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-022-00589-7