TY - JOUR
T1 - Action of neurotransmitter
T2 - A key to unlock the AgRP neuron feeding circuit
AU - Liu, Tiemin
AU - Wang, Qian
AU - Berglund, Eric D.
AU - Tong, Qingchun
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - The current obesity epidemic and lack of efficient therapeutics demand a clear understanding of the mechanism underlying body weight regulation. Despite intensive research focus on obesity pathogenesis, an effective therapeutic strategy to treat and cure obesity is still lacking. Exciting studies in last decades have established the importance of hypothalamic agouti-related protein-expressing neurons (AgRP neurons) in the regulation of body weight homeostasis. AgRP neurons are both required and sufficient for feeding regulation. The activity of AgRP neurons is intricately regulated by nutritional hormones as well as synaptic inputs from upstream neurons. Changes in AgRP neuron activity lead to alterations in the release of mediators, including neuropeptides Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and AgRP, and fast-acting neurotransmitter GABA. Recent studies based on mouse genetics, novel optogenetics, and designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs have identified a critical role for GABA release from AgRP neurons in the parabrachial nucleus and paraventricular hypothalamus in feeding control. This review will summarize recent findings about AgRP neuron-mediated control of feeding circuits with a focus on the role of neurotransmitters. Given the limited knowledge on feeding regulation, understanding the action of neurotransmitters may be a key to unlock neurocircuitry that governs feeding.
AB - The current obesity epidemic and lack of efficient therapeutics demand a clear understanding of the mechanism underlying body weight regulation. Despite intensive research focus on obesity pathogenesis, an effective therapeutic strategy to treat and cure obesity is still lacking. Exciting studies in last decades have established the importance of hypothalamic agouti-related protein-expressing neurons (AgRP neurons) in the regulation of body weight homeostasis. AgRP neurons are both required and sufficient for feeding regulation. The activity of AgRP neurons is intricately regulated by nutritional hormones as well as synaptic inputs from upstream neurons. Changes in AgRP neuron activity lead to alterations in the release of mediators, including neuropeptides Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and AgRP, and fast-acting neurotransmitter GABA. Recent studies based on mouse genetics, novel optogenetics, and designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs have identified a critical role for GABA release from AgRP neurons in the parabrachial nucleus and paraventricular hypothalamus in feeding control. This review will summarize recent findings about AgRP neuron-mediated control of feeding circuits with a focus on the role of neurotransmitters. Given the limited knowledge on feeding regulation, understanding the action of neurotransmitters may be a key to unlock neurocircuitry that governs feeding.
KW - AgRP neurons
KW - Feeding
KW - Parabrachial nucleus
KW - Paraventricular hypothalamus
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84879001676&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84879001676&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fnins.2012.00200
DO - 10.3389/fnins.2012.00200
M3 - Review article
C2 - 23346045
AN - SCOPUS:84879001676
SN - 1662-4548
JO - Frontiers in Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Neuroscience
IS - JAN
M1 - Article 200
ER -