ANI
20 Jan 2022, 18:33 GMT+10
Washington [US], January 20 (ANI): A team of researchers has looked into estrogen interactions with specific brain regions that provide anti-obesity benefits in women.
The research has been published in the 'Science Advances Journal'.
The team revealed an estrogen-activated neurocircuit that stimulates thermogenesis, or body heat production and physical activity in animal models. The circuit begins in neurons located in a region of the hypothalamus called the ventrolateral subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (vlVMH).
These neurons interact with estrogen via estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) and respond to the hormone by connecting to and communicating with serotonin-producing neurons located in another brain region called the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN).
The circuit not only responds to estrogen, but also to changes in ambient temperature and in the nutritional status of the animal. Interestingly, the circuit seems to be functional in males but, at this point, its physiological relevance is not clear.
"My lab has long been interested in understanding sex differences in metabolic control," said co-corresponding author Dr. Yong Xu, professor of paediatrics - nutrition and molecular and cellular biology at Baylor.
"For instance, before menopause women are typically protected from metabolic problems that may lead to weight gain when compared to age-matched men. However, after menopause, this benefit seems to disappear. Researchers around the world agree that estrogen is one important player in this benefit," Xu added.
In previous work, the researchers showed that one of the estrogen receptors, ER-alpha, is expressed in several brain regions, including the v1VMH of the hypothalamus. When v1VMH neurons expressing ER-alpha respond to estrogen, the animals increase thermogenesis and physical activity. Both responses are beneficial as they increase energy expenditure, which can prevent obesity.
"What we didn't know at that time were the neurocircuits that mediate these responses. Using modern neuroscience technology, we identified a neurocircuit that connects ER-alpha-expressing neurons in the vlVMH region with neurons in the DRN region. We confirmed that estrogen-mediated activation of this circuit actually stimulates thermogenesis and physical activity," Xu said.
The researchers also found that the circuit responds to changes in ambient temperature and in the nutritional status of the animal.
"For example, the circuit can be activated when it's cold, stimulating thermogenesis and physical activity, which would help the animal stay warm," Xu said.
"The circuit can be inhibited when the animal is hungry, which would shut down thermogenesis and physical activity, saving energy to adapt to the lack of nutrients," Xu added.
Xu and his colleagues studied this circuit in females, but also in males.
"We found that the circuit is conserved in males - they have the same neurons that express ER-alpha and project into the same downstream brain regions. If the circuit is artificially activated in males, the same responses occur - thermogenesis and physical activity are stimulated. However, we still don't know the role this circuit plays in males. Further studies will help answer this question," Xu said.
Other contributors to this research are Hui Ye, Bing Feng, Chunmei Wang, Kenji Saito, Yongjie Yang, Lucas Ibrahimi, Sarah Schaul, Nirali Patel, Leslie Saenz, Pei Luo, Penghua Lai, Valeria Torres, Maya Kota, Devin Dixit, Xing Cai, Na Qu, Ilirjana Hyseni, Kaifan Yu, Yuwei Jiang, Qingchun Tong, Zheng Sun, Benjamin R. Arenkiel, Yanlin He and Pingwen Xu. The authors are affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Louisiana State University System or the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. (ANI)Get a daily dose of Chicago Chronicle news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Chicago Chronicle.
More InformationOTTAWA, Canada: Canada's inflation picture became more complicated in April, with headline inflation easing but core measures ticking...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks had a volatile day on Thursday after the House of Representatives narrowly passed President Donald...
ATLANTA, Georgia: Home Depot plans to hold prices steady despite the added strain of tariffs, the company said, but warned that some...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Department of Justice dropped a lawsuit last week against Southwest Airlines. The lawsuit, filed near the...
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Airbus is in discussions with Malaysian airlines to introduce its A220 aircraft, the company's Asia-Pacific...
BEIJING, China: Huawei has launched its first laptops running on its proprietary HarmonyOS, marking a significant step in its effort...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Parts of the U.S. and Canada may not have enough electricity this summer if hot weather causes more people to use...
Washington, DC [US], May 23 (ANI): Several people from various walks of life gathered outside the White House to pay tribute to Israeli...
Washington DC [US], May 23 (ANI): The White House has expressed strongest condemnation on the killing of two Israeli diplomats in Washington...
By Reena Bhardwaj Washington DC [US], May 23 (ANI): Several people from various walks of life gathered outside the Capital Jewish...
Washington [US], May 22 (ANI): American media personality Kim Kardashian recently announced that she has graduated from law school...
For the fourth year running, Chicago hosted its annual parade celebrating May 24, the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture, gathering...