Scientists have discovered a new signaling pathway in the brain that controls food intake, and it could eventually give us improved treatments for binge eating.
The hypothalamus is where the AgRPs are located, and they can cause a sensation of hunger when activated.
The researchers were able to control food cravings in the animals by blocking the autotaxin in the brain.
Johannes Vogt is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Cologne in Germany.
The pathway shows how AgRPs control the levels of lysophosphatidylcholine in the blood. The lysophosphatidic acid is turned into lysophosphatidic acid through ATX.
The search for food is stimulated by certain brain cells. The link was found by studying mice that were fast and developed higher levels ofLPC. The obese mice lost weight.
The researchers believe that their findings in mice are likely to match up with similar processes and chain reactions in people.
"Our findings on the control of the brain's excitability, which we have worked on for years, therefore also play a central role for eating behavior."
The results of the experiment on mice are promising, but it's still early for the research. The team behind the study believes that other pathways contribute to the requirement to get fed.
Efforts to control Obesity through Drugs have so far largely failed. The discoveries made here could be used to treat many neurological and psychiatric illnesses.
The team is trying to develop a series of drugs that will be tested in the future. A treatment like this could make a big difference in the lives of people who are obese.
Robert Nitsch is a neuroscientist from the University of Mnster in Germany.
The research was published in a journal.
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