Neurochemical-neuroendocrine systems in the brain controlling macronutrient intake and metabolism

doi:10.1016/0166-2236(92)90101-D

Trends in Neurosciences

Volume 15, Issue 12, December 1992, Pages 491-497

https://doi.org/10.1016/0166-2236(92)90101-D Get rights and content

Abstract

Appetite, energy balance and body weight gain are modulated by diverse neurochemical and neuroendocrine signals from different organs in the body and diverse regions in the brain. The hypothalamus plays an important integrative function in this process, acting through a variety of systems that involve a close interaction between nutrients, amines, neuropeptides and hormones. These systems underlie normal nutrient intake and metabolism and are thought to be responsible for shifts in feeding behavior across the circadian cycle and fluctuations relating to gender and age in both rats and humans. Moreover, alterations in these normal neurochemical—neuroendocrine systems may be associated with abnormal eating patterns, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia and obesity. Understanding the systems that control eating behavior might provide a foundation for the treatment and possible prevention of such disorders.

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Citation Excerpt :
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Neuropeptides are involved in numerous brain activities being responsible for a wide spectrum of higher mental functions. The purpose of this concise, structural and qualitative investigation was to map the possible immunoreactivity of the novel neuropeptide spexin (SPX) within the human magnocellular hypothalamus. SPX is a newly identified peptide, a natural ligand for the galanin receptors (GALR) 2/3, with no molecular structure similarities to currently known regulatory factors. SPX seems to have multiple physiological functions, with an involvement in reproduction and food-intake regulation recently revealed in animal studies. For the first time we describe SPX expressing neurons in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei of the human hypothalamus using immunohistochemical and fluorescent methods, key regions involved in the mechanisms of osmotic homeostasis, energy expenditure, consummatory behaviour, reproductive processes, social recognition and stress responses. The vast majority of neurons located in both examined neurosecretory nuclei show abundant SPX expression and this may indirectly implicate a potential contribution of SPX signalling to the hypothalamic physiology in the human brain.
Hypothalamic Goal-directed Behavior -Ingestive, Reproductive and Defensive
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This chapter focuses on understanding how the hypothalamic “behavior control column” integrates the three basic classes of motivated behavior required for the survival of all animals. The hypothalamus is responsible for integrating various endocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses that guarantee the survival of both the individual and the species. These responses are involved in regulating metabolism, providing an adequate supply of nutrients and water from the environment, allowing for the generation and care of offspring, and defending the animal from predators and other threats. Before reviewing the structural organization of the hypothalamus, it is important to consider the evidence supporting the idea that this part of the brain controls the three basic classes of behavior required for the survival of all animals: ingestive, defensive, and reproductive. Chronic midbrain animals display no spontaneous locomotor behavior when they are left undisturbed, cannot reproduce, and do not show spontaneous integrated defensive behaviors. These animals are generally aphagic and adipsic, but still can chew and swallow if food or water is placed in their mouth. Moreover, midbrain animals still reject unpalatable food and show responses involving short-term comparisons of gustatory stimuli, but they fail to generate compensatory responses to challenges requiring longer term processing. In contrast, hypothalamic animals can regulate their body weight and body water by ingesting appropriate amounts of food and water, if they are readily available, can reproduce, and can display complete defensive responses, even to normally innocuous stimuli. Therefore, this evidence suggests that controllers for ingestive, reproductive, and defensive behaviors are found in the hypothalamus. Distinct nuclei in the hypothalamus respond to certain aspects of the internal environment and to certain types of external stimuli.
Hypothalamic Goal-directed Behavior – Ingestive, Reproductive and Defensive
2011, The Mouse Nervous System
This chapter focuses on understanding how the hypothalamic “behavior control column” integrates the three basic classes of motivated behavior required for the survival of all animals. The hypothalamus is responsible for integrating various endocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses that guarantee the survival of both the individual and the species. These responses are involved in regulating metabolism, providing an adequate supply of nutrients and water from the environment, allowing for the generation and care of offspring, and defending the animal from predators and other threats. Before reviewing the structural organization of the hypothalamus, it is important to consider the evidence supporting the idea that this part of the brain controls the three basic classes of behavior required for the survival of all animals: ingestive, defensive, and reproductive. Chronic midbrain animals display no spontaneous locomotor behavior when they are left undisturbed, cannot reproduce, and do not show spontaneous integrated defensive behaviors. These animals are generally aphagic and adipsic, but still can chew and swallow if food or water is placed in their mouth. Moreover, midbrain animals still reject unpalatable food and show responses involving short-term comparisons of gustatory stimuli, but they fail to generate compensatory responses to challenges requiring longer term processing. In contrast, hypothalamic animals can regulate their body weight and body water by ingesting appropriate amounts of food and water, if they are readily available, can reproduce, and can display complete defensive responses, even to normally innocuous stimuli. Therefore, this evidence suggests that controllers for ingestive, reproductive, and defensive behaviors are found in the hypothalamus. Distinct nuclei in the hypothalamus respond to certain aspects of the internal environment and to certain types of external stimuli.
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The present review starts from the classical physiological and nutritional studies related with food intake control, digestion, transport and absorption of nutrients. It continues with studies related with the metabolism of adipose tissue, and finish with modern experiments in genetics and molecular biology — all from a fresh, chronobiological point of view. Obesity will be explained as a fault in the circadian system, as pathology associated with “chronodisruption”. The main gaps in chronobiological research related to obesity will be also identified and chronobiological-based therapies will be proposed in order to allow the resetting of the circadian rhythm among obese subjects.
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This study was carried out to investigate diet selection and eating behaviour of lactating German Fawn × Hair Crossbred goats in different feeding methods and levels. Twenty German Fawn × Hair first backcross does (B₁) were allocated into 4 treatment groups (2 feeding methods single (TMR) and choice feeding × 2 feeding levels ad libitum and restricted) with 5 replicates. Restricted feeding was applied only 4 h feed allocation during day. Barley, corn, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, wheat bran and alfalfa hay were feed ingredients for single and choice feeding. Eating patterns, milk yield and composition were determined for 8 weeks. The following results were obtained: (1) the meal criteria for goats restricted single and choice-fed, ad libitum single and choice-fed were determined as 1.00 and 0.63, 12.88 and 10.23 min, respectively. (2) Ad libitum feeding increased meal size, meal length, intermeal interval, total eating duration and decreased eating rate and meal number, compared to restricted feeding (P < 0.01). Choice feeding decreased meal size (P < 0.05), meal length (P < 0.01) and increased eating rate and meal number (P < 0.01), compared to single feeding. Restricted fed goats decreased intermeal interval in single feeding compared to choice feeding (P < 0.01), but increased meal number in choice feeding (P < 0.01). (3) Ad libitum choice-fed does made a diet containing 12.79% corn, 35.41% barley, 13.21% wheat bran, 5.35% soybean meal, 1.28% corn gluten meal and 29.80% alfalfa meal while restricted choice-fed does made a diet having more corn (27.69%), corn gluten meal (5.62%) and wheat bran (16.17%) and less barley (14.37%) and soybean meal (4.51%). (4) Choice feeding decreased RUP intake (P < 0.05) without affecting milk protein, irrespective to feeding levels, while having a tendency to increase in milk yield (14.2%) and 4% FCM (8.8%). (5) Restricted feeding decreased DM, ME, ADF and NDF intakes (P < 0.05) with concomitant decreases in 4% FCM, total milk solid, ash and fat compositions (P < 0.05), irrespective to feeding methods. (6) Choice-fed goats changed their preferences for a possible synchronized nutrient intake during a daytime, as sorted barley, soybean meal and alfalfa hay from early morning to late afternoon.
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The Cytokine Basis of Cachexia and its Treatment: Are They Ready for Prime Time?
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Cachexia is a hypercatabolic condition that is often associated with the terminal stages of many diseases, in which the patient's resting metabolic rate is high and loss of muscle and fat tissue mass occur at an alarming rate. The patient also usually has concurrent anorexia, amplifying the wasting syndrome that is cachexia. The greater the extent of cachexia (regardless of underlying disease), the worse the prognosis. Efforts to treat cachexia over the years have fallen short of satisfactorily reversing the wasting syndrome. This article reviews the pathophysiology of cachexia, enumerating the different pro-inflammatory cytokines that contribute to the syndrome and attempting to illustrate their interwoven pathways. We also review the different treatments that have been explored, as well as the recent literature addressing the use of anti-cytokine therapy to treat cachexia.

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Trends in Neurosciences

ReviewNeurochemical-neuroendocrine systems in the brain controlling macronutrient intake and metabolism

Abstract

Vitam. Horm.

Prog. Neurobiol.

Appetite

Brain Res. Bull.

Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav.

Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav.

Brain Res.

Prog. Neurobiol.

Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev.

Brain Res. Bull.

Physiol. Behav.

Brain Res.

Physiol. Behav.

Physiol. Behav.

Prog. Neurobiol.

Physiol. Behav.

Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav.

Peptides

Brain Res. Bull.

Physiol. Behav.

Appetite

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Physiol. Behav.

Peptides

Trends Endocrinol. Metab.

Nutrition and Neurotransmitters

Ann. NY Acad. Sci.

Annu. Rev. Nutr.

Review
Neurochemical-neuroendocrine systems in the brain controlling macronutrient intake and metabolism