Ghrelin microinjection into forebrain sites induces wakefulness and feeding in rats

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (1) ◽  
pp. R575-R585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éva Szentirmai ◽  
Levente Kapás ◽  
James M. Krueger
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Suppressive Effect ◽  
Hormone Release ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep ◽  
Regulatory Circuit ◽  
Intracerebroventricular Injections ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Brain Peptide

Ghrelin, a gut-brain peptide, is best known for its role in the stimulation of feeding and growth hormone release. In the brain, orexin, neuropeptide Y (NPY), and ghrelin are parts of a food intake regulatory circuit. Orexin and NPY are also implicated in maintaining wakefulness. Previous experiments in our laboratory revealed that intracerebroventricular injections of ghrelin induce wakefulness in rats. To further elucidate the possible role of ghrelin in the regulation of arousal, we studied the effects of microinjections of ghrelin into hypothalamic sites, which are implicated in the regulation of feeding and sleep, such as the lateral hypothalamus (LH), medial preoptic area (MPA), and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) on sleep in rats. Sleep responses, motor activity, and food intake after central administration of 0.04, 0.2, or 1 μg (12, 60, or 300 pmol) ghrelin were recorded. Microinjections of ghrelin into the LH had strong wakefulness-promoting effects lasting for 2 h. Wakefulness was also stimulated by ghrelin injection into the MPA and PVN; the effects were confined to the first hour after the injection. Ghrelin's non-rapid-eye-movement sleep-suppressive effect was accompanied by attenuation in the electroencephalographic (EEG) slow-wave activity and changes in the EEG power spectrum. Food consumption was significantly stimulated after microinjections of ghrelin into each hypothalamic site. Together, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that forebrain ghrelinergic mechanisms play a role in the regulation of vigilance, possibly through activating the components of the food intake- and arousal-promoting network formed by orexin and NPY.

scholarly journals The Antiobesity Effects of Centrally Administered Neuromedin U and Neuromedin S Are Mediated Predominantly by the Neuromedin U Receptor 2 (NMUR2)

Endocrinology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 150 (7) ◽  
pp. 3101-3109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Peier ◽  
Jennifer Kosinski ◽  
Kimberly Cox-York ◽  
Ying Qian ◽  
Kunal Desai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
Diet Induced Obesity ◽  
Inhibit Food Intake ◽  
Selective Agonists ◽  
Treatment Of Obesity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Deficient Mice

Neuromedin U (NMU) and neuromedin S (NMS) are structurally related neuropeptides that have been reported to modulate energy homeostasis. Pharmacological data have shown that NMU and NMS inhibit food intake when administered centrally and that NMU increases energy expenditure. Additionally, NMU-deficient mice develop obesity, whereas transgenic mice overexpressing NMU are lean and hypophagic. Two high-affinity NMU/NMS receptors, NMUR1 and NMUR2, have been identified. NMUR1 is predominantly expressed in the periphery, whereas NMUR2 is predominantly expressed in the brain, suggesting that the effects of centrally administered NMU and NMS are mediated by NMUR2. To evaluate the role of NMUR2 in the regulation of energy homeostasis, we characterized NMUR2-deficient (Nmur2−/−) mice. Nmur2−/− mice exhibited a modest resistance to diet-induced obesity that was at least in part due to reduced food intake. Acute central administration of NMU and NMS reduced food intake in wild-type but not in Nmur2−/− mice. The effects on activity and core temperature induced by centrally administered NMU were also absent in Nmur2−/− mice. Moreover, chronic central administration of NMU and NMS evoked significant reductions in body weight and sustained reductions in food intake in mice. In contrast, Nmur2−/− mice were largely resistant to these effects. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the anorectic and weight-reducing actions of centrally administered NMU and NMS are mediated predominantly by NMUR2, suggesting that NMUR2-selective agonists may be useful for the treatment of obesity.

Differential role of melanocortins in mediating leptin's central effects on feeding and reproduction

2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (1) ◽  
pp. R50-R59 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Hohmann ◽  
Thomas H. Teal ◽  
Donald K. Clifton ◽  
James Davis ◽  
Victor J. Hruby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Reproductive System ◽  
Melanocortin Receptor ◽  
Reproductive Axis ◽  
The Status ◽  
Reproductive Endocrine ◽  
Intracerebroventricular Injections ◽  
Ingestive Behaviors ◽  
The Brain

Leptin serves as a humoral link coupling the status of energy reserves to the functional activity of the reproductive system. Leptin is thought to act through melanocortinergic pathways in the brain to regulate ingestive behaviors; however, whether melanocortins mediate leptin's actions on the neuroendocrine-reproductive axis is unknown. We tested this hypothesis first by determining whether the effects of leptin on feeding behavior and reproduction in the ob/ob mouse could be blocked by the melanocortin receptor (MC-R) antagonist SHU9119 and second, by examining the effects of the MC-R agonist MTII on feeding and the endocrine-reproductive system. Administered by intracerebroventricular injections, leptin inhibited food intake, raised plasma gonadotropin levels, and increased seminal vesicle weights compared with controls; SHU9119 (intracerebroventricularly) attenuated leptin's effects on food intake and body weight but did not alter leptin's stimulatory effect on the reproductive axis. MTII (intracerebroventricularly and intraperitoneally) decreased food intake and increased body temperature compared with controls but had no effect on the reproductive-endocrine axis. These results suggest that although leptin acts centrally through melanocortinergic pathways to inhibit ingestive behaviors and stimulate metabolism, leptin's activational effect on the reproductive axis is likely to be mediated by other, unknown neuroendocrine circuits.

Spontaneous sleep and homeostatic sleep regulation in ghrelin knockout mice

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (1) ◽  
pp. R510-R517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éva Szentirmai ◽  
Levente Kapás ◽  
Yuxiang Sun ◽  
Roy G. Smith ◽  
James M. Krueger
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Diurnal Rhythms ◽  
Rapid Eye Movement ◽  
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep ◽  
Sleep Regulation ◽  
Compensatory Mechanisms ◽  
Regulatory Circuit ◽  
Normal Sleep ◽  
The Brain

Ghrelin is well known for its feeding and growth hormone-releasing actions. It may also be involved in sleep regulation; intracerebroventricular administration and hypothalamic microinjections of ghrelin stimulate wakefulness in rats. Hypothalamic ghrelin, together with neuropeptide Y and orexin form a food intake-regulatory circuit. We hypothesized that this circuit also promotes arousal. To further investigate the role of ghrelin in the regulation of sleep-wakefulness, we characterized spontaneous and homeostatic sleep regulation in ghrelin knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. Both groups of mice exhibited similar diurnal rhythms with more sleep and less wakefulness during the light period. In ghrelin KO mice, spontaneous wakefulness and rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) were slightly elevated, and non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) was reduced. KO mice had more fragmented NREMS than WT mice, as indicated by the shorter and greater number of NREMS episodes. Six hours of sleep deprivation induced rebound increases in NREMS and REMS and biphasic changes in electroencephalographic slow-wave activity (EEG SWA) in both genotypes. Ghrelin KO mice recovered from NREMS and REMS loss faster, and the delayed reduction in EEG SWA, occurring after sleep loss-enhanced increases in EEG SWA, was shorter-lasting compared with WT mice. These findings suggest that the basic sleep-wake regulatory mechanisms in ghrelin KO mice are not impaired and they are able to mount adequate rebound sleep in response to a homeostatic challenge. It is possible that redundancy in the arousal systems of the brain or activation of compensatory mechanisms during development allow for normal sleep-wake regulation in ghrelin KO mice.

Central administration of alpha-MSH antiserum augments fever in the rabbit

1986 ◽  
Vol 250 (5) ◽  
pp. R803-R806 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. T. Shih ◽  
O. Khorram ◽  
J. M. Lipton ◽  
S. M. McCann
Keyword(s):  
Interleukin 1 ◽  
Rabbit Serum ◽  
Normal Rabbit Serum ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
Normal Body Temperature ◽  
Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Average Rise ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Antipyretic Action

alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) has a marked antipyretic action when given centrally or peripherally, and the concentration of this peptide within the septal region of the brain increases during fever. To assess the significance of endogenous central alpha-MSH in fever, antiserum was given to rabbits via a cannula implanted in the third cerebral ventricle. Each day for 3 days, the animals received 50 microliters of normal rabbit serum (NRS) or an equal volume of antiserum raised against alpha-MSH. Interleukin 1 (IL 1) was then injected intravenously to determine the effect of central immunoneutralization of alpha-MSH on the febrile response. Immunoneutralization markedly prolonged fever. The average rise in temperature and the area under the fever curve after IL 1 injection were also significantly increased. Antiserum treatment did not alter normal body temperature, and NRS had no effect on IL 1-induced fever. These results indicate that endogenous central alpha-MSH contributes to physiological limitation of fever and that the role of this peptide in temperature regulation is relevant to the febrile state but not to normothermia.

Lateral ventricular ghrelin and fourth ventricular ghrelin induce similar increases in food intake and patterns of hypothalamic gene expression

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (6) ◽  
pp. R1565-R1569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly P. Kinzig ◽  
Karen A. Scott ◽  
Jayson Hyun ◽  
Sheng Bi ◽  
Timothy H. Moran
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Fourth Ventricle ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
Stimulatory Action ◽  
Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus ◽  
Ghrelin Receptors ◽  
The Brain

The gut peptide ghrelin has been shown to stimulate food intake after both peripheral and central administration, and the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus has been proposed to be the major site for mediating this feeding stimulatory action. Ghrelin receptors are widely distributed in the brain, and hindbrain ghrelin administration has been shown to potently stimulate feeding, suggesting that there may be other sites for ghrelin action. In the present study, we have further assessed potential sites for ghrelin action by comparing the ability of lateral and fourth ventricular ghrelin administration to stimulate food intake and alter patterns of hypothalamic gene expression. Ghrelin (0.32, 1, or 3.2 nmol) in the lateral or fourth ventricle significantly increased food intake in the first 4 h after injection, with no ventricle-dependent differences in degree or time course of hyperphagia. One nanomole of ghrelin into either the lateral or fourth ventricle resulted in similar increases in arcuate nucleus neuropeptide Y mRNA expression. Expression levels of agouti-related peptide or proopiomelanocortin mRNA were not affected by ghrelin administration. These data demonstrate that ghrelin can affect food intake and hypothalamic gene expression through interactions at multiple brain sites.

The role of amylin in the control of energy homeostasis

2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (6) ◽  
pp. R1475-R1484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Lutz
Keyword(s):  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Area Postrema ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Direct Action ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Hypothalamic Area ◽  
Chronic Infusion ◽  
The Brain

Amylin is an important player in the control of nutrient fluxes. Amylin reduces eating via a meal size effect by promoting meal-ending satiation. This effect seems to depend on a direct action in the area postrema (AP), which is an area rich in amylin receptors. Subsequent to the activation of AP neurons, the neural signal is conveyed to the forebrain via relays involving the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and the lateral parabrachial nucleus (lPBN) to the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) and other hypothalamic nuclei. While the NTS and lPBN seem to be necessary for amylin's eating inhibitory effect, the role of the LHA has not yet been fully investigated. Amylin may also act as an adiposity signal. Plasma levels of amylin are higher in obese individuals, and chronic infusion of amylin into the brain reduces body weight gain and adiposity; chronic infusion of an amylin receptor antagonist into the brain increases body adiposity. Amylin increases energy expenditure in rats; this effect occurs under various experimental conditions after peripheral and central administration. Together, these animal data, but also clinical data in humans, indicate that amylin is a promising candidate for the treatment of obesity; effects are most pronounced when amylin is combined with leptin. Finally, recent findings indicate that amylin acts as a neurotrophic factor in specific brain stem areas. Whether this effect may be relevant under physiological conditions requires further studies.

scholarly journals Activation of Central Neuropeptide Y Y1 Receptors Potently Stimulates Food Intake in Male Rhesus Monkeys*

1999 ◽  
Vol 84 (10) ◽  
pp. 3781-3791
Author(s):  
P. J. Larsen ◽  
M. Tang-Christensen ◽  
C. E. Stidsen ◽  
K. Madsen ◽  
M. S. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Neuropeptide Y ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Maximal Effect ◽  
Central Administration ◽  
Glucose Levels ◽  
Blood Glucose Levels ◽  
Y1 Receptors ◽  
Male Rhesus

Abstract The orexigenic role of central neuropeptide Y (NPY) in nonhuman primates has been questioned. Therefore, we have studied the effect of central NPY on feeding in ad libitum-fed male rhesus macaques. NPY dose-dependently increased food intake, with the maximal effect obtained by 50 μg (960 min food intake ± sem, 104 ± 5 to 188 ± 11 g; vehicle vs. NPY; n = 6). Blood glucose levels were unaffected by intracerebroventricular administration of NPY, but animals receiving either 20 or 50 μg displayed increased plasma levels of insulin and cortisol at few time points. To assess the pharmacological specificity of this response, a novel Y1 antagonist,[ (Ile,Glu,Pro,Daba,Tyr, Arg,Leu,Arg,Tyr-NH2)2 cyclic (2,4′),(2′,4)-diamide] (Y1ANT), was synthesized. Receptor binding experiments demonstrated that Y1ANT preferentially binds to Y1 and Y4 receptors (pKi 10.12 ± 0.06 and 9.11 ± 0.05 nmol/L, respectively). Functional analysis revealed that Y1ANT is a Y1 antagonist and a partial Y4 agonist. Central administration of Y1ANT blocked NPY-induced feeding. In food-deprived monkeys, Y1ANT attenuated the feeding response. However, Y1ANT had no effect on food intake in satiated monkeys. Thus, endogenous NPY is likely to be involved in the regulation of food intake in the nonhuman primate, and this effect is at least partially mediated via Y1-like receptors.

scholarly journals Role of GABA Release From Leptin Receptor-Expressing Neurons in Body Weight Regulation

Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (5) ◽  
pp. 2223-2233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanzhong Xu ◽  
William G. O'Brien ◽  
Cheng-Chi Lee ◽  
Martin G. Myers ◽  
Qingchun Tong
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Leptin Receptor ◽  
Gaba Release ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Chow Diet ◽  
Weight Regulation ◽  
Body Weight Regulation ◽  
The Brain

It is well established that leptin regulates energy balance largely through isoform B leptin receptor-expressing neurons (LepR neurons) in the brain and that leptin activates one subset of LepR neurons (leptin-excited neurons) while inhibiting the other (leptin-inhibited neurons). However, the neurotransmitters released from LepR neurons that mediate leptin action in the brain are not well understood. Previous results demonstrate that leptin mainly acts on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons to reduce body weight, and that leptin activates proopiomelanocortin neuron activity by reducing GABA release onto these neurons, suggesting a body weight-promoting role for GABA released from leptin-inhibited neurons. To directly examine the role of GABA release from LepR neurons in body weight regulation, mice with disruption of GABA release specifically from LepR neurons were generated by deletion of vesicular GABA transporter in LepR neurons. Interestingly, these mice developed mild obesity on chow diet and were sensitive to diet-induced obesity, which were associated with higher food intake and lower energy expenditure. Moreover, these mice showed blunted responses in both food intake and body weight to acute leptin administration. These results demonstrate that GABA plays an important role in mediating leptin action. In combination with the previous studies that leptin reduces GABA release onto proopiomelanocortin neurons through leptin-inhibited neurons and that disruption of GABA release from agouti gene-related protein neurons, one subset of LepR-inhibited neurons, leads to a lean phenotype, our results suggest that, under our experimental conditions, GABA release from leptin-excited neuron dominates over leptin-inhibited ones.

scholarly journals Fourth ventricular thyrotropin induces satiety and increases body temperature in rats

2018 ◽  
Vol 314 (5) ◽  
pp. R734-R740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrika Smedh ◽  
Karen A. Scott ◽  
Timothy H. Moran
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Fourth Ventricle ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Subcutaneous Administration ◽  
Hormone Release ◽  
Gastric Function ◽  
Bottle Test ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Conditioned Flavor

Besides its well-known action to stimulate thyroid hormone release, thyrotropin mRNA is expressed within the brain, and thyrotropin and its receptor have been shown to be present in brain areas that control feeding and gastrointestinal function. Here, the hypothesis that thyrotropin acts on receptors in the hindbrain to alter food intake and/or gastric function was tested. Fourth ventricular injections of thyrotropin (0.06, 0.60, and 6.00 µg) were given to rats with chronic intracerebroventricular cannulas aimed at the fourth ventricle. Thyrotropin produced an acute reduction of sucrose intake (30 min). The highest dose of thyrotropin caused inhibition of overnight solid food intake (22 h). In contrast, subcutaneous administration of corresponding thyrotropin doses had no effect on nutrient intake. The highest effective dose of fourth ventricular thyrotropin (6 µg) did not produce a conditioned flavor avoidance in a standardized two-bottle test, nor did it affect water intake or gastric emptying of glucose. Thyrotropin injected in the fourth ventricle produced a small but significant increase in rectal temperature and lowered plasma levels of tri-iodothyronin but did not affect plasma levels of thyroxine. In addition, there was a tendency toward a reduction in blood glucose 2 h after fourth ventricular thyrotropin injection ( P = 0.056). In conclusion, fourth ventricular thyrotropin specifically inhibits food intake, increases core temperature, and lowers plasma levels of tri-iodothyronin but does not affect gastromotor function.

scholarly journals Variability in Reward Responsivity and Obesity: Evidence from Brain Imaging Studies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Stanley Burger
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Vulnerability Factors ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Vulnerability Model ◽  
Reward Responsivity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

Advances in neuroimaging techniques have provided insight into the role of the brain in the regulation of food intake and weight. Growing evidence demonstrate that energy dense, palatable foods elicit similar responses in reward-related brain regions that mimic those of addictive substances. Currently, various models of obesity’s relation to reward from food have been theorized. There is evidence to support a theory of hypo-responsivity of reward regions to food, where individuals consume excess amounts to overcome this reward deficit. There is also data to support a theory of hyper-responsivity of reward regions, where individuals who experience greater reward from food intake are at risk for overeating. However, these seemingly discordant theories are static in nature and do not account for the possible effects of repeated overeating on brain responsivity to food and initial vulnerability factors. Here we review data that support these theories and propose a dynamic vulnerability model of obesity that appears to offer a parsimonious theory that accommodates extant findings.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document